PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen Lead India's Quest For Medal At Thomas, Uber Cup Final
NDTV
No Indian men's team has ever won a medal in the Thomas Cup, failing to reach the semifinal even once. But Indian women's team has made two semifinal finishes in successive editions of the Uber Cup to clinch two bronze medals in 2014 and 2016.
Focus will be on double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and World Championships bronze winner Lakshya Sen as the Indian badminton contingent resumes its quest for a medal at the Thomas and Uber Cup Final beginning on Sunday. No Indian men's team has ever won a medal in the Thomas Cup, having failed to reach the semifinal even once. But the women had two semifinal finishes in successive editions of the Uber Cup to clinch two bronze medals in 2014 and 2016. Last year, both the men's and women's teams signed off their campaigns at the quarterfinal stage.
This time, India boasts of a strong men's team comprising world number 9 Sen, world number 11 Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy, ranked 23rd in the world, in singles.
The doubles will be led by world number 9 pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, while the combination of MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila, and that of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala are also part of the team.
Given a robust team and a favourable draw, Indian men will look to make the golden opportunity count as they open the campaign against Germany in group C which also comprises Chinese Taipei and Canada.
The women's team, however, was left depleted following the withdrawals of the experienced doubles pair of N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa and fast-rising Gayatri Gopichand.
