If there is an area in the Indian badminton contingent for Rio 2016 where they would be lacking experience severely, it is the Men’s Singles. In the absence of the experienced Parupalli Kashyap, Kidambi Srikanth will lead India’s charge in that department in his 1st Olympics.
It has been a mixed 2016 for the Indian, who had a fine start to the year when he won the Syed Modii Grand Prix Gold but then fizzled out, losing in the early rounds of several competitions before eventually reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open.
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Like PV Sindhu, it has been the inconsistency in his game that has let to his downfall. On several occasions, Srikanth has found himself in good positions but given away and on others has had to fight his way into the match and then lose out in the decider.
He will very well know any minor lapses would mean no more progress in the competition and it will be interesting to see if he has made any changes to his game in the two months in-between.
The Indian will up against Lino Munoz of Mexico and will look to get his Olympic career off to a winning start.
Match: Kidambi Srikanth vs Lino Munoz
Time: 5:30 A.M IST(12th August)
TV details: Star Sports network, hotstar.com and DD National
