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Young Indian badminton player Gayatri Gopichand will miss the Uber Cup Finals due to an injury.
Gopichand suffered a strain in the hip joint and has been advised to rest, forcing the young badminton player to pull out of the prestigious tournament. Gayatri also missed out on the Asia Badminton Championship last month.
Gayatri Gopichand's withdrawal meansTreesa Jolly, her doubles partner, will also be out of action. The Indian pair is the second to withdraw after N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa withdrew due to Sikki Reddy's injury.
Read: Mathias Boe re-hired as badminton doubles coach for Commonwealth Games and Asian Games
Sikki Reddy suffered an abdominal muscle Grade 2 tear and will be out of action for six weeks. The shuttler cemented a place in the Indian team for the Asian Games and the Uber Cup but will miss the competition due to the time required for her rehabilitation.
No replacement for Gayatri Gopichand
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) could not announce any replacement for the pair as the extent of her injury was only determined after the deadline for making any changes to the squad was over.
Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly have been in good form over the last few months. The duo reached the semi-finals of the prestigious All England Championships in March. They later emerged winners at the BAI selection trials to make it to the Indian squad for the Commonwealth Games, Uber Cup and Asian Games.
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BAI had earlier announced Simran Singh and Ritika Thakkar, who finished fourth during the selection trials, as replacements for Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa.
Indian team for Uber Cup
In the Uber Cup, the Indian team is in Group D along with South Korea, Canada and the United States.
Matches in the singles category will feature Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, Aakarshi Kashyap, Ashmita Chaliha and the young Unnati Hooda. The doubles players in the Indian squad include the duos of Tanisha Crasto and Shruti Mishra and Simran and Ritika.
The Uber Cup Finals will commence in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 8.
