Former India shuttler Parupalli Kashyap on Thursday dubbed two-time medallist PV Sindhu an “underdog” at the Paris Olympics but said her name still carries a lot of weight and opponents would be wary of her big-match credentials. Eyeing an unprecedented third straight Olympic medal, Sindhu has not been at her best since returning from a knee injury in February. “It’s her third Olympics, she won two medals in the last two Olympics and several world championship medals. So I think she feels she has an edge already even though her ranking doesn’t say it or her recent form doesn’t say it,” Kashyap, an Olympics expert at JioCinema & Sports18, told reporters during an interaction.

“In major events, I think the opponents also are a little wary of her even though she’s not in form. I think she’s going as a dark horse and underdog considering the last two years of women’s singles.” Since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu 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 exits. Sindhu did reach the finals of the 2023 Spain Masters but, after a few months, she suffered a knee injury in October last year.

She came back in February this year but satisfactory results were tough to come by, with the highlight being a runner-up finish at Malaysia Masters and a couple of quarterfinals.

“There are clear four athletes in the women’s singles who are out-and-out favourites to make it to the medal rounds but I’m sure they are wary and a little tense about facing Sindhu because she’s a big-match player and her game style is also very suited to major events,” Kashyap said.

“She’s an out-and-out attacking player and backs herself with a fitness level as well,” added the 2014 Commonwealth Game champion.

‘Satwik-Chirag are title contenders’

A lot is riding on Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty to win India’s first-ever badminton gold, and Kashyap termed them one of the favourites for the title.

“I think they are a title contender. And I think the wins in Asian Games, Asian Championships, medals in 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 favourites to win the gold.” Talking about their opponents, Kashyap said: “Their tough competitors will be the Chinese pair against whom they lost during the Thomas Cup. In the last two encounters, I think the Chinese pair won against Chirag and Satwik. So they are the immediate threat.

“They had a couple of tough matches against the Koreans who won the World Championships but I think they scored a win against them in another tournament.

“So I think the Chinese pair and the Korean pair, these two are the ones who are going to be tough for Chirag and Satvik, but I think they would be feeling the same about them.”

HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen are ‘dark horses’

This is the first time two Indian men will compete at the Olympics since 2004 and Kashyap feels HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen will go into the Paris Games as “dark horses”.

“I think Lakshya and Prannoy are one of the dark horses in the draw,” said Kashyap, who had reached the quarterfinals at the 2012 London Olympics.

“Both of them, especially Lakshya played the All-England final two years back. During the Olympic qualification, he came out of a tough qualification period.” Lakshya had fallen out of the Olympic race but made it to Paris after reaching the semifinals of the French Open and All-England Championships.

“Especially the initial patch of the qualification was tough for him. He had a couple of first-round losses but the way he qualified by making it to two semi-finals and getting good wins against top-level opponents…. It shows his calibre.

“Under pressure he has been winning matches in Thomas Cup, winning matches in Asian Games. He’s a big-match player, he rises to the occasion, especially the big matches, when it matters.” Talking about Prannoy, Kashyap said: “He is a multiple super series winner and made it to the medal in World Championships, won the bronze beating Victor Axelson and also won the medal in the Asian Games against Lee Zii Jia from match point down.

“Both Lakshya and Prannoy have faced tough situations and have come out trumps. They both are part of the Thomas Cup winning team and have huge experience in big matches. They are capable of anything but they are surely the dark horses.

“They can beat anyone in the draw, be it Li Shi Feng or Victor. I won’t say they are the favourites, but they have a huge chance to create upsets and progress in the tournament.” PTI ATK AH AH

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