Badminton made its maiden appearance at the Asian Games way back in 1962 when Jakarta last hosted the quadrennial event. Now, as the Indonesian capital and Palembang are all set to host the continental spectacle, badminton is one of the few disciplines where a rich haul of medals is expected by India. It is one sport in which the country has some serious pedigree in the form of P.V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth.
Rio Olympic silver medallist Sindhu is spearheading the Indian challenge in the women's section. The 23-year-old Hyderabadi has been remarkably consistent in major events in the last couple of years. Sindhu may have fallen at the final hurdle on a few occasions,―the latest being the World Championships where Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain got the better of the Indian yet again―but her ability to win medals at major events is unquestionable. The Rio Olympics catapulted Sindhu to instant stardom and Jakarta could well be the place where the lanky lass breaks her final jinx on the big stage.
Strong field
The field in Jakarta will be the same as in the Worlds with the exception of Marin as most of the top players are from Asia. Taiwan’s world no.1 Tai Tzu-ying will be eager to bounce back from the unexpected loss she suffered at the hands of Chinese He Bingjiao at the World Championships. Tzu-ying, who has lost only two matches out of 37 so far this year, was on a 31-match winning streak before being stopped by Bingjiao.
Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand and the Japanese duo of Nozomi Okuhara and Akane Yamaguchi too are capable of going all the way.
Saina, who beat Sindhu in an all-Indian final at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games earlier this year, too will be hoping to put up a fine show. Saina, who took out Intanon in the World Championships pre quarterfinals, was blown away by Marin in the very next round. The presence of Sindhu and Saina means India have realistic chances of picking up medals in both the women's singles and team events. However, the doubles pair of N. Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa too will have to chip in if the Indian women are to win a medal in team competition.
[File] Saina Nehwal (left) and P.V. Sindhu are expected to bring in a rich haul of medals for India | PTI
A lot is riding on Kidambi Srikanth as far as the men's events are concerned. He can match any player on his day and the 25-year-old will be keen on putting his best foot forward after having a rather sedate season. Though Srikanth has slipped to world no.7 after briefly topping the rankings in April, he is a quality player and could raise his level of play on the big stage.
Keralite H.S. Prannoy can pull off a surprise or two, but with the likes of new world champion Kento Momota of Japan, an ageing but highly-competitive Chinese superstar Lin Dan and Olympic champion Chen Long of China in the fray, it will be tough for him to earn a podium finish.
Commonwealth Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini are India’s best hope in mixed doubles. The duo made it to the quarterfinals at the Worlds before running into Chinese top seeds Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong.
Indian shuttlers have so far won eight bronze medals at the Games and this time around the country will be hoping for better returns than the lone bronze the women picked up at Incheon four years ago.