India minus Sindhu hope to lay their hands on elusive gold

qingdao: Without the services of an injured PV Sindhu, India will face an uphill task in pursuit of an elusive gold medal at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships which get underway here on Tuesday.

India hope to improve on their bronze medal finish from the previous edition where Sindhu played a key role in Dubai two years ago. Her absence this year due to an injury will be a significant setback as the team embarks on its campaign in the prestigious biennial event.

Sindhu sustained a hamstring injury during a pre-tournament training camp in Guwahati on February 4, forcing her to withdraw from the tournament at the last minute. Her unavailability puts the onus on world No. 29 Malvika Bansod to step up in women’s singles.

Placed in Group D, India will open their campaign against Macau on Wednesday, followed by a clash with a strong South Korean outfit on Thursday. A top-two finish in the group will secure a spot in the quarterfinals, and while India is likely to progress to the last-eight, advancing further will require exceptional performances from the squad.

While India have never won the gold at the Asia Mixed Team Championships, they did secure mixed team gold and silver at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and 2022.

India have had notable success in recent team events, including their first-ever Thomas Cup gold in 2022, the 2024 Asia Team Championships silver in Malaysia, and a historic men’s silver at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The team features many key players from those victories, including HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Ashwini Ponnappa, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty, with all eyes on them to put up an inspired performance. While Satwiksairaj and Chirag have been consistent with semifinal finishes at the Malaysia Open and India Open, Prannoy has been troubled by niggles after returning to action following the Olympics, where he was affected by a pre-tournament chikungunya bout. Syed Modi champion Lakshya, on the other hand, has endured a few first-round exits this season and will need to regain his form.