PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth prepare for Thailand Open in January 2021

After a tough year that saw cancellation of most major badminton tournaments, Indian badminton squad is ready to get back into action once again. Shuttlers PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth are geared up and will return to action at Thailand Open in January 2021. This will be first taste of competitive badminton since March for both women. Meanwhile, Former World .1, Srikanth will be more in form, having just made his comeback at Denmark Open in October this year. 

Also Read | PV Sindhu Working On 'strokes And Fitness' With British Players Ahead Of Scheduled Return

Badminton Association of India anunces 8-member squad for 2021

With Olympic qualifications in mind, Badminton Association of India anunced a strong eight-member squad to participate in upcoming tournaments in Bangkok. Or than Sindhu and Saina, B. Sai Praneeth, Kidambi Srikanth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Ashwini Ponappa and N. Sikki Reddy comprise eight-member team for Yonex Thailand Open from January 12-17. "We are very happy to see badminton finally getting back on court. It gives us hope that tournaments can eventually make a steady comeback in near future. Most of our players haven't played tournaments in last 7-8 months," BAI general secretary Ajay Singhania said. 

Also Read | BAI Names Full-strength Squad; Sindhu, Saina To Compete For First Time Since Virus Break

Olympic silver-medallist, PV Sindhu, will make her comeback to BWF Circuit at  Yonex Thailand Open which is slated to be held from January 12 to 17. Sindhu's last tournament was  Yonex All England Open 2020 held in Birmingham. 2019 World Champion lost her quarter-final match against Japan's N. Okuhara despite winning first set with a commanding 21-12 margin. Sindhu has t been able to go past quarter-finals at any of three events she played in 2020 and will hope to change that before Olympics next year. 

Olympic Bronze medallist and former World .1, Saina Nehwal, will also be playing her first game in almost nine months as she travels to Thailand with Indian contingent for  BWF World Tour Super 1000, Yonex Thailand Open in January. Of five tournaments she has played in 2020, Nehwal's best performances came at Malaysia and Spain Masters where she reached quarter-finals. Her last outing, to England, ended with a dismal first-round loss to A. Yamaguchi of Japan.

Also Read | SAI Approves Sindhu's Request For Travelling Coach And Physio

BWF 2021 calendar

first major tournament of 2021 will be Yonex Thailand Open, held from January 12-17. This will be followed by Toyota Thailand Open to be held from January 19 to 24 and will be topped off by prestigious BWF World Tour Finals, which will be held from January 27-31. According to latest anuncement,  India Open 2021 will take place from May 11-16, 2021 and will be last Olympic Qualifier ahead of Tokyo Olympic Games.

Also Read | Kashyap, Prany Along With Two More Test COVID-19 Positive

Im Credits: AP