India shuttlers eye elusive medal at Sudirman Cup in China

PV Sindhu

Star PV Sindhu (below) and HS Prannoy will look to hit top gear as the Indian badminton team begins its campaign at the BWF Sudirman Cup with a blockbuster clash against a formidable Chinese Taipei here on Sunday.

India have always depended on their singles stars to deliver at the team championships and a lot will again ride on them as the country aim to clinch a first-ever medal in the World mixed team championships.

Bolstered by the epic Thomas Cup win, India will now hope to display their might in the mixed team event with men's pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and women's combination of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand set to play pivotal roles in the campaign.

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India have been placed along with Malaysia, Chinese Taipei and Australia in Group C with the two top teams qualifying for the knockout stage.

The Indian team, which qualified for the prestigious event after claiming bronze at the Asian Badminton Championships in Dubai last month, will have their task cut out when they face a strong Chinese Taipei team, led by Olympic silver medallist Tai Tzu Ying. A lot will depend on Sindhu as she is expected to face former World No. 1 Tai Tzu, who has proved to be a nemesis for her, having lost 17 times in 22 meetings so far.

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