With star shuttler Saina Nehwal not playing, the Indian women’s team have a tough task at hand in the Badminton Asia Team Championships beginning at the Gachibowli stadium here on Monday.
In the absence of Saina, doubles pair of Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnappa and the young players like PV Sindhu have to steer the team in the competitive team event.
The Indian women, who are clubbed with Japan and Singapore in the group, comprises PV Sindhu, Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa, Maneesha K, Sikki Reddy, PC Thulasi and Arathi Sara Sunil.
Saina, currently ranked world number two, ruled herself out for the event as she is still recovering from the foot injury.
She had earlier missed the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold tournament in lucknow and also the South Asian Games.
The young players will have to take charge in the event of Saina not playing in the Badminton Asia tournament, Chief National Coach Pullela Gopichand said.
“I think the youngsters will have to take charge. It is also good that we have experience on our side in terms of Jwala being there and Ashwini being there,” he said.
Indian men’s team can take some solace from the absence of top shuttlers like lin Dan, Chen long (China) and Malaysia’s lee Chong Wei, but it will not be a cakewalk for them either as they are grouped with the formidable China and Singapore.
India’s campaign would be spearheaded by its promising young players, including Kidambi Srikanth, Ajay Jayaram and HS Prannoy. The other men in the team are Parupalli Kashyap, Manu Attri, Sumeeth Reddy, Pranav Jerry Chopra, Akshay Dewalkar, Satwiksairaj and Chirag Shetty.
The participating teams shall play in two stages. Top two teams from each group qualify for the final stage to be played on knock-out basis.
The participating teams will be granted with Olympic points in order to qualify for the upcoming Rio Games in August. Badminton Asia Team Championships also serve as Thomas and Uber Cup Asia Continental Qualifying Round.
‘Specialist coach helped my fitness’
Her long-standing demand for a specialist coach fulfilled, India’s doubles badminton player Jwala Gutta says she has become physically fitter and mentally stronger heading into the Asia Championship.
Jwala said she and her partner Ponnappa currently ranked world number 13 needed consistent support which they have got with specialist doubles coach Malaysia’s Tan Kim Her giving personal attention.
“There is a lot of difference. I think it is pretty evident. I have become fitter now. There is somebody who is keeping a track of the training. He (doubles coach) has focused a lot on me. We needed that kind of a personal attention which I have been talking about for many years now. You can see the difference,” she said.
Jwala said the Badminton Asia Championship starting here on Monday would help her prepare for the Olympics.
“Olympics is still pretty far. It will be a kind of preparation for us. We will know where we stand. last two months, I was just training and working hard on myself. Now, I would know where I stand and then accordingly we work again. So, it’s important tournament,” she said.