India have been drawn with top seeds and defending champions China, Thailand and hosts Finland for the upcoming Sudirman Cup badminton tournament, making it a tough Group A for the side to negotiate.
The prestigious World Mixed Team Championship is scheduled to be held in Vantaa, Finland from 26 September to 3 October.
India and Finland have been seeded in the 9 to 16 bracket, while Thailand are placed in the 5-8 bracket in the 16-nation event.
The Chinese team, which has won the title 11 times in the past, will have the opportunity to consolidate their position as they seek a 12th title.
The draw, held in Kuala Lumpur and broadcast online, saw second seeds Japan drawn with Malaysia, England and Egypt in Group D.
Japan were runners-up in 2019 and are seeking their first Sudirman Cup title.
Indonesia, winners of the Sudirman Cup in its inaugural year 1989, are in Group C with Denmark, Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and Canada, while Group B consists of Chinese Taipei, Korea, Tahiti and Germany.
Four-time winners Korea are the second most successful team at the World Mixed Team Championships.
The top two teams from each group progress to the knockout round (quarter-finals). The quarter-finals draw will be held immediately after the last group match.
Each tie comprises five matches — men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.
The Badminton Association of India will pick the team for the Sudirman Cup and Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in a selection trial on 28 August.
A total of 105 players, including Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Verma brothers — Sameer and Sourabh, Parupalli Kashyap, Ashwini Ponnappa, N Sikki Reddy, Ashmita Chaliha, Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap and Gayatri Gopichand have been called for the trials.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, 2012 London Games bronze winner Saina Newhal, Tokyo Olympian B Sai Praneeth, 2016 Rio Olympics quarter-finalist Kidambi Srikanth and world No 10 Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have been selected directly for the two events.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2XQS1wJ
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