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The 2023 BWF World Championships came with a podium finish for India, but with the Asian Games approaching fast, Indian shuttlers will be looking to make those crucial last minute improvements to their game.
Of the 19 Indian badminton players who will participate at the Hangzhou Asian Games, four will lead the charge for men's singles. Out of these four players, Srikanth Kidambi, Lakshya Sen, and HS Prannoy were the ones who took to the court in Copenhagen.
To say that the World Championships were disappointing for Kidambi would be an understatement. The Indian lost out in the very first round of the tournament, which is a first for him. Not only that, Srikanth lost to Kento Nishimoto, a player whom he had beaten only a few weeks ago at the Australian Open.
Going into the Asian Games, Kidambi's focus is likely to be trained towards the mental aspects of the game. While Srikanth has the skill set to challenge the best, it will be crucial for him to bring his 100 percent on the court in September.
Lakshya Sen had an admirable outing at the World Championships. He showed great form in his first couple of matches before going down against Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the eventual champion.
While Sen did push Kunlavut to three sets, the Thai player got the better of Lakshya when it came to defense. Ahead of the Asian Games, Lakshya might be looking to improve both his attacking skills and his patience for when his opponent is getting everything back.
HS Prannoy was undoubtedly the star of the show at the BWF World Championships, as he was the only Indian to finish on the podium. Additionally, on his way to the bronze medal, Prannoy took down home favorite, defending champion, and reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen.
Although Prannoy lost his semi-finals to Vitidsarn, it doesn't look like the "Giant-Slayer" has a lot to change in the coming weeks. The 31-year-old showcased a near-perfect physical and mental game in Copenhagen, and all he needs to do is give us an encore at the Asian Games.
Moving on to the women's singles, PV Sindhu was India's sole hope, and much like Kidambi, her performance in Denmark left a lot to be desired. Sindhu went down against long-time rival Nozomi Okuhara in straight games.
Her match in the round of 32 looked nothing like Sindhu, who once tamed the Japanese 21-7, 21-7, to take home her first World Championships gold.
While Sindhu has the game required to stand on top of the podium, she needs to get out of the rut she's been in fir the past few months. Before Hangzhou, the Indian's energy will probably be directed toward rebooting her game to get back to the giant she once was.
India's double squad looking to get even at the Asian Games
In the doubles event of the World Championships, India didn't have the best showing. India had five pairs in action, and only one made it through to the quarterfinals.
Out of the five pairs, Rohan Kapoor/Sikki Reddy and Juhi Dewangan/Krishna Prasad were the ones representing India in the mixed doubles events. Both pairs lost out in the first round.
Ahead of the Asian Games, both duos will need to take a look at their strategies and mental tactics if they hope for an impressive performance. Given that Asia is a powerhouse for doubles, they are bound to have their competition cut out for them.
Meanwhile, Treesa Jolly/Gayathri Gopichand and Ashwini Ponnappa/Shikha Gautam were the only Indians in the draw for women's doubles.
Ashwini and Shikha lost their first round but pushed their opponents to three games. Treesa and Gayathri went down against first seeds and eventual winners Chen/Jia in their pre-quarters.
Both pairs showed promise in Copenhagen, and they are likely to be focused on fine-tuning the smaller aspects of their game including physical and mental fitness come September.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were the sole Indians in the men's doubles event. Given their recent string of stellar performances, all eyes were on them for a golden finish in Copenhagen. Unfortunately, the duo buckled under pressure, losing to home favorites and eventual silver medalists, Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen.
While this might have been a slight setback, there isn't a lot Rankireddy and Shetty need to change ahead of the Asian Games. If the duo continue playing the way they've done for most of 2023, Indian fans are very likely to see them on the podium in Hangzhou.
The Indian contingent will be back on court in the first week of September for the China Open. Given that the tournament is a Super 1000, the pressure will be on and the event will give Indian players another opportunity to test their skills before the Hangzhou games.
