India fields strong squad for Thomas & Uber Cup finals 2024

Published at :April 4, 2024 at 5:58 PM

Modified at :April 27, 2024 at 5:05 AM

(Courtesy : BAI)

PV Sindhu skips Uber Cup to Focus on Olympics qualification.

India will field a strong squad with a perfect mix of youth and experience in the upcoming BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2024 with the senior selection committee deciding to have more options in singles considering the hectic schedule of all players this season.

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) announced both men’s and women’s teams for the upcoming prestigious tournament to be played in Chengdu, China from April 27 to May 5.

A 10-member team for Thomas Cup will have five singles players with Kiran George joining HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and Priyanshu Rajawat while Sai Pratheek will be the back-up doubles player to the two first-choice combinations, namely World No. 1 pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila.

With most of the top players going through a tough Paris Olympic qualification phase in the run up to Thomas Cup 2024, the selectors felt that it was important to have an additional singles player in the squad.

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The final decision on the Thomas Cup squad was taken after an online meeting of the selection committee that comprises Chief National coach Pulella Gopichand, former India stars U Vimal Kumar, Jwala Gutta, Manjusha Kanwar, Partho Ganguly and Mallika Baruah Sarma.

For the Uber Cup, the selectors decided to allow youngsters after top players in both singles and doubles pulled out. PV Sindhu informed the selectors that due to back-to-back tournaments leading up to the Olympics, she and her team have decided to skip the Uber Cup to prepare for the Olympics.

Top doubles pairs also cited similar reasons and, since it is not a full-strength team, they also pulled out. The selectors then decided to go ahead with young players who have done well recently at the National Championships.

Speaking about the team combination, Badminton Association of India General Secretary Sanjay Mishra said, “The senior selection committee after a lot of discussion has decided the best possible combination for the Thomas Cup team to defend the title. The committee felt we needed to have one additional player in the singles while in doubles they have picked top two pairs and Sai Pratheek is selected as an additional doubles player after consultation with Mathias Boe (Danish doubles coach) just in case somebody is not fully fit or needs recovery.

“With all the experience as top-level players themselves and years of coaching experience, I believe they have picked a very balanced team and I believe these boys can win the title once again.

“The Uber Cup team also looks good with the young talented players. I wish them the best of luck and hope they will make the nation proud with their performances.”

The Indian men’s team had created history two years ago in Thailand when they defeated formidable Indonesia 3-0 in the final to clinch their first-ever Thomas Cup crown.

Thomas Cup squad

Singles

HS Prannoy
Lakshya Sen
Kidambi Srikanth
Priyanshu Rajawat
Kiran George

Doubles

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
Chirag Shetty
MR Arjun
Dhruv Kapila
Sai Pratheek

Uber Cup squad

Singles

Anmol Kharb
Tanvi Sharma
Ashmita Chaliha
Isharani Baruah

Doubles

Shruti Mishra
Priya Konjengbam
Simran Singhi
Ritika Thaker

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