Former Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashyap on Thursday dubbed two-time medalist PV Sindhu a “dark horse” at the Paris Olympics but said his name still carries a lot of weight and opponents will be wary of his credentials in big games. Eyeing an unprecedented third consecutive Olympic medal, Sindhu has not been in her best form since returning from a knee injury in February. “This is her third Olympics, she won two medals in the last two Olympics and several medals in world championships. So, I think she already feels like she has an advantage, even though her rankings don’t say that or her recent form doesn’t say that,” Kashyap, Olympics expert at JioCinema & Sports18, told reporters during an interaction.
“At big events, I think opponents are also a little wary of her, even if she is not in shape. I think she’s going as an underdog and underdog considering the last two years of women’s singles.” Since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu has won the Singapore Open Super 500 title and Commonwealth Games gold in 2022, but a left ankle injury she suffered in Birmingham took six months to heal.
When she returned to action, she struggled to find her rhythm and endured as many as seven first-round eliminations. Sindhu reached the final of the 2023 Spanish Masters, but after a few months, she suffered a knee injury in October last year.
She returned in February this year, but it was difficult to obtain satisfactory results, with highlights being runner-up at the Malaysian Masters and some quarter-finals.
“There are clearly four athletes in the women’s singles who are favorites to reach the medal rounds, but I’m sure they are cautious and a little tense about facing Sindhu because she is a great player and her game style is also very suitable for big events,” said Kashyap.
“She is an all-attacking player and also relies on a level of fitness,” the 2014 Commonwealth Game champion added.
‘Satwik-Chirag are title contenders’
A lot depends on Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty to win India’s first badminton gold, and Kashyap has labeled them as one of the favorites for the title.
“I think they are title contenders. And I think the wins at the Asian Games, the Asian Championships, the medals at the World Championships, they are one of the title contenders,” he said.
“I think Satwik-Chirag, the Chinese pair and the Korean pair. These three are the favorites to win the gold.” Talking about their opponents, Kashyap said, “Their strong competitors will be the Chinese pair against whom they lost in the Thomas Cup. In the last two encounters, I think the Chinese pair beat Chirag and Satwik.
“They had some tough matches against the Koreans who won the World Championship, but I think they managed to get a win in another tournament.
“So I think the Chinese duo and the Korean duo, those two, will be the ones that are difficult for Chirag and Satvik, but I think they would feel the same way about them.”
HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen are ‘underdogs’
This is the first time two Indians will compete at the Olympics since 2004 and Kashyap believes HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen will go into the Paris Games as “underdogs”.
“I think Lakshya and Prannoy are one of the dark horses in the draw,” said Kashyap, who reached the quarterfinals at the 2012 London Olympics.
“Both, especially Lakshya, played in the All-England final two years ago. During the Olympic qualification, he came out of a difficult qualifying period.” Lakshya had fallen out of the Olympic race but arrived in Paris after reaching the semi-finals of the French Open and the British Championships.
“Especially the initial phase of qualification was difficult for him. He had some defeats in the first phase, but the way he qualified by reaching two semi-finals and getting good victories against high-level opponents… That shows his caliber.
“Under pressure, he’s been winning matches in the Thomas Cup, winning matches in the Asian Games. He’s a big game player, he rises to the occasion, especially in the big games when it matters.” Talking about Prannoy, Kashyap said, “He is a multiple super series winner and won the medal in the World Championship, won the bronze by beating Victor Axelson and also won the medal in the Asian Games against Lee Zii Jia from match point down.
“Both Lakshya and Prannoy faced difficult situations and came out as trumps. Both are part of the Thomas Cup winning team and have great experience in big games.
“They can beat anyone in the draw, be it Li Shi Feng or Victor. I won’t say they are the favorites, but they have a great chance of creating surprises and progressing in the tournament.” PTI ATK AH AH
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