Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Srikanth headline Indian Thomas Cup team; young Uber Cup team announced after big names skip
The badminton selection committee has selected teams with a mix of youth and experience for the BWF Thomas and Uber Cup
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HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth headline a strong Indian men’s singles squad for the upcoming BWF Thomas Cup, while the numero uno pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will lead the men’s doubles contingent.
The 10-member Indian men’s team will also have Kiran George and Priyanshu Rajawat in singles, while MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila will be the back-up doubles pair.
Similarly, for the BWF Uber Cup, Ashmita Chaliha and Tanvi Sharma will headline the women’s singles team, while Shruti Mishra, Priya Konjengbam, Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker will be playing doubles.
Anmol Kharb and Isharani Baruah are the other two women’s singles players on the team.
The prestigious BWF Thomas and Uber Cup will be played in Chengdu, China, from April 27 to May 5.
The selection committee comprises chief national coach Pulella Gopichand, former India stars U Vimal Kumar, Jwala Gutta, Manjusha Kanwar, Partho Ganguly and Mallika Baruah Sarma. The decision to field a squad with a mix of youth and experience and with a focus on singles was taken by the selectors keeping in mind the packed schedules of the players, especially with the Paris Olympics coming up.
With most top players going through a tough Paris Olympic qualification phase in the run up to the Thomas Cup, the selectors felt that it was important to have an additional singles player in the squad.
With Indian badminton flagbearer PV Sindhu and top women’s doubles players pulling out of the Uber Cup to prepare for the Paris Olympics, the selectors were left with little choice but to go with a young and relatively inexperienced team.
The Indian men’s team created history two years ago in Thailand when they defeated Indonesia 3-0 in the final to clinch their first-ever Thomas Cup title.
Thomas Cup squad:
Singles: HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Priyanshu Rajawat and Kiran George.
Doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, MR Arjun, Dhruv Kapila and Sai Pratheek.
Uber Cup squad:
Singles: Anmol Kharb, Tanvi Sharma, Ashmita Chaliha and Isharani Baruah.
Doubles: Shruti Mishra, Priya Konjengbam, Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker.
