Badminton: India Face Japan Threat In Asian Games Team Events

India will look to go one better than their silver-medal finish in the men's team event at the previous edition as they begin their badminton campaign, with the men taking on Bangladesh and the women facing Kazakhstan in the opening round at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Sunday. The team competition will be followed by the individual events from September 25. India won a historic men's doubles gold through Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty at Hangzhou in 2023, besides taking silver in the men's team event and bronze through HS Prannoy in men's singles.

The Indian men will be aiming to upgrade their silver to gold, while the women's side will be chasing a second team medal after winning bronze at Incheon in 2014.

India are expected to progress against Bangladesh but could face Japan in the quarterfinals. A potential tie could see world No. 14 Lakshya Sen take on world No. 7 Kodai Naraoka, who won his second World Championships silver at the New Delhi event last month.

World No. 20 Ayush Shetty could face Swiss Open winner and world No. 18 Yushi Tanaka, while world No. 5 Satwik-Chirag, who won two titles at Singapore and China this season, could meet world No. 9 Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi.

Japan could prove a difficult opposition on slower courts, with Naraoka's retrieving ability and physical style posing a significant challenge, particularly with Lakshya coming into the tournament after a series of early exits.

Lakshya remains India's highest-ranked men's singles player but has endured an inconsistent run since finishing runner-up at the All England Championships in March. He suffered an early exit at the World Championships and lost in the opening round of the China Masters.

India's side of the draw also includes China and Korea, meaning either could potentially await in the semifinals. Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Chinese Taipei are in the other half.

The Indian team has a lot of depth in singles, with Ayush emerging as another option after registering an upset win over world No. 1 Shi Yuqi at the World Championships. He has also beaten several leading players so far in his career but will need to produce consistently in a team format.

Third singles responsibility could fall on Kidambi Srikanth, who reached the final of the US Open and recently defeated Canada's Victor Lai. Prannoy, the 2023 Asian Games bronze medallist, also remains an important option for India despite a difficult recent season.

For the women, India begin against Kazakhstan and could face second seeds Japan in the quarterfinals.

That tie could see PV Sindhu face three-time world champion Akane Yamaguchi, while Unnati Hooda could meet 20-year-old Tomoka Miyazaki, the 2022 world junior champion and current world No. 7.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who won their maiden World Championships bronze at home last month, could face Japan's formidable doubles combination of Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.

The Indian pair have also emerged as a medal prospect in the individual event after their World Championships breakthrough, where they became India's first women's doubles medallists since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won bronze in 2011.

The duo beat Japan's seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in the World Championships round of 16 and then defeated China's Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in the quarterfinals before losing to world No. 1 Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in the semifinals.

Their recent run gives India another option in the doubles department in the team event.

Sindhu, meanwhile, will remain one of India's key players. She will be looking to build on her Japan Open Super 750 title in July. The two-time Olympic medallist reached the round of 16 at the World Championships.

The women's team could face Korea in the semifinals if they negotiate Japan, with An Se-young and world champions Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee among the potential threats.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Featured Video Of The Day

Spain Vs Argentina | Dani Olmo On WC Triumph: 'Wanted To Set An Example For The Next Generation'