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The BWF Sudirman Cup 2021 will get underway in Vantaa, Finland on September 26. The eight-day biennial mixed team tournament Sudirman Cup will be an acid test for the Indian team.
India have been drawn with defending champions China, three-time semi-finalists Thailand and hosts Finland in Group A . Only the top two teams from each group qualify for the knock-outs.
The Indian team, sans world No. 10 pair Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, have already reached Finland for the Sudirman Cup. The ace men’s doubles pair have withdrawn as Chirag Shetty is down with an illness.
Sportskeeda tried to focus on five Indian players who have a point to prove in the Sudirman Cup, which will conclude on October 3.
Indian players to watch out for in Sudirman Cup
B Sai Praneeth
The Tokyo Games was B Sai Praneeth’s maiden Olympics. Everyone had great expectations from him.
However, it turned out to be a completely disappointing event for him. Sai Praneeth was expected to top his Group D as his two opponents were lower ranked and less experienced than him.
Instead of topping the group, Sai Praneeth finished bottom following surprise straight-game defeats to lower-ranked Misha Zilberman (Israel) and Mark Caljouw (The Netherlands). The 13th seed could not handle the pressure of the Olympics and succumbed early.
29-year-old Sai Praneeth will get a chance to overcome the Tokyo Olympics disappointment by doing well at the Sudirman Cup. The world No. 15 will spearhead India’s challenge in the biennial tournament.
World Championships 2019 bronze medallist Sai Praneeth will be eager to prove his worth again in the mixed team championship.
Kidambi Srikanth
Despite his impressive world ranking of 14, Kidambi Srikanth could not make the cut for the Tokyo Olympics. 28-year-old missed the Tokyo bus by a whisker due to the cancelation of a series of tournaments because of the pandemic. The pain of missing what could have been his second Olympics in succession was difficult to digest for Srikanth. However, the setback made him work even harder and more determined.
He has trained hard for the last couple of months and is raring to go. The former world No. 1 has a point to prove to everyone that he is not finished yet. In fact, he will focus solely on doing well in the Sudirman Cup and guiding India to triumph. Since there is only one singles in the Sudirman Cup, the team management will decide who will play the men’s singles. One thing is for sure, whenever Srikanth gets a chance, he will fire on all cylinders.
Malvika Bansod
The Sudirman Cup is undoubtedly the biggest tournament of Malvika Bansod’s career so far. She is poised to play the women’s singles in the absence of the legendary Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu.
Both Sindhu and Saina have been shouldering the responsibility of playing the crucial women’s singles in the last decade. However, both Saina and Sindhu will not be there in Finland, which provides Malvika a golden opportunity to prove her mettle.
Malvika turned 20 on September 15 while undergoing a preparatory coaching camp in Hyderabad. The Nagpur shuttler had no time to celebrate as she was busy preparing for the big battles ahead.
Southpaw Malvika clinched her spot in the Sudirman Cup squad by winning the selection trials held earlier this month.
Ashmita Chaliha, Aakarshi Kashyap and Mugdha Agrey are higher ranked than Malvika as far as world rankings are concerned but they failed to excel in the trials.
Malvika and 18-year-old Aditi Bhatt grabbed the opportunity with an excellent performance in the selection trials.
Malvika, who trains under Sanjay Mishra at Raipur, has had a splendid season so far. The India No. 2 won the Uganda International in February and the Lithuanian International in June, in addition to making the quarters of the Austrian Open in May.
Ashwini Ponnappa
Known for her thunderous smashes and gritty displays on the court, Ashwini Ponnappa is the most experienced player in the squad. 32-year-old will have to play an important role as the most senior member of the side.
After failing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, Ashwini would like to make a bold statement with a brilliant performance in the doubles at the Sudirman Cup.
Ashwini and N. Sikki Reddy have been playing well together over the last few years. The world No. 28 pair recently finished runners-up in Denmark last month.
Ashwini and Sikki went down fighting at the Denmark Masters International Challenge Badminton tournament in Esbjerg on August 8. Top seeds Amalie Magelund and Freja Ravn of Denmark rallied back strongly to pip second seeds Ashwini and Sikki 15-21, 21-19, 21-14.
The duo of Ashwini and Sikki must be eyeing an improved showing in the Sudirman Cup.
Tanisha Crasto
Tanisha Crasto, one of the fastest rising Indian doubles players, did no harm to her growing reputation by winning the women’s doubles in the selection trials.
The young pair of Tanisha and Rutaparna Panda emerged champions in the trials.
With some outstanding performances in the women’s and mixed doubles in the last couple of years, Tanisha is seen as a bright prospect as far as Indian doubles is concerned.
Although Tanisha is the youngest member of the squad at 18 years and four months, she will have to rise to the occasion and do the job for the country in the prestigious tournament. The biennial tourney will also test her capabilities as almost all the top players are competing in the tournament.
