Battling indifferent form and dwindling fortunes, Indian shuttlers face a daunting task at the All England Championships beginning in Birmingham on Tuesday. Even as they look to end a 24-year-old drought at the All England, the last two years have been forgettable for Indian shuttlers.
Barring Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001), none of the Indians have managed to make an impression at badminton’s third-most coveted championships after the Olympics and the Worlds. This year the task appears more difficult.
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Little has come India’s way since Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the Asian Games gold in 2022. Though PV Sindhu and Lakshya bagged titles at the Syed Modi event last year, none of the regulars competed in that tournament.
India pin their hopes on Satwik and Chirag, yet again. Despite the bereavement of his father last month, Satwik is determined to return with a good show. The pair will open against Danile Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard of Denmark in the first round.
Sindhu begins against Kim Ga Eun of South Korea. She is expected to face Han Yue of China next, against whom Sindhu enjoys a 7-1 record. Malvika Bansod is the other Indian in women’s singles.
In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen plays Koki Watanabe of Japan in the first round while HS Prannoy starts against Toma Junior Popov of France.
