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The Indian women's badminton team faces the sternest test possible in their Uber Cup 2024 campaign on Tuesday, April 30. They will be taking on the mighty China in a Group A tie.
China are the defending runner-up in the tournament, having lost to South Korea in the final of the 2022 edition. They will be taking on an Indian side severely depleted by the absence of a host of leading players.
PV Sindhu pulled out of the tournament while doubles specialist Gayatri Gopichand is absent too. Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy are not around for their team also.
So, this is essentially a second-string Indian squad that is playing in the Uber Cup this year. Yet, they managed to overcome minnows Canada 4-1 in their opening contest last Saturday. Ashmita Chaliha managed to register a very impressive win over Michelle Li, the most prominent player from her country.
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Next, they defeated Singapore by the same margin. This time, Chaliha suffered a loss in her opening singles match. The rest of the team, though, sailed through easily. With these wins, the Indian team booked its spot in the quarter-finals.
China, on the other hand, have barely broken a sweat. Both their ties saw them winning all five matches in two games.
India vs China in Uber Cup 2024: Preview
Against China, all the Indian players will have their task cut out. Isharani Baruah will be up against it as she faces reigning Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei. With Chaliha not slated to play in this tie, India has decided to field Baruah instead of Anmol Kharb against China's toughest opponent.
The Indian national champion will be facing Han Yue, the bronze medalist from the recent Badminton Asia Championships. Kharb isn't the favorite in this match, but this match gives her a better chance of winning than if she had faced Chen.
Tanvi Sharma will play the last singles match, against Wang Zhi Yi, the current Asian Champion. The tie is unlikely to depend on this match but if it did, Tanvi's chances aren't great against back-to-back Badminton Asia Championships winner.
Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra will face the four-time World Champions Chen Qingchen and Jia Yi Fan. Lasting three games would be an achievement for the Indian duo.
After their loss in the first tie, Singhi and Thaker will play the less dangerous pair of Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning. However, the latter won the bronze at the recent Asian Championships, so they won't be easy either.
In short, it would require a herculean effort from the Indians to avoid a 5-0 blank out. Then again, beating China would have been tough even with all the big names in their ranks.
India vs China in Uber Cup 2024: Schedule
Tie: India vs China (Group A)
Time: 7 AM IST, 9:30 AM local time
Venue: Gymnasium 1, Hi-Tech Zone Sports Centre, Chengdu, China
Order of play
Isharani Baruah vs Chen Yu Fei
Priya Konjengbam & Shruti Mishra vs Chen Qingchen & Jia Yi Fan
Anmol Kharb vs Han Yue
Simran Singhi & Ritika Thaker vs Liu Sheng Shu & Tan Ning
Tanvi Sharma vs Wang Zhi Yi
Where to watch & live streaming
The India vs China tie will be telecasted live on Sports18 1 HD from 7 AM onwards. The contest will be streamed live on Jio Cinema.
