Commonwealth Games 2022: India pins hope on Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth

With young gun Lakshya Sen leading the men’s badminton team, India has doned the perfect dress for success at Commonwealth Games 2022.

The 21-year-old alongside his senior Kidambi Srikanth would look to better India’s record at the quadrennial event. While Sen will be aiming to clinch his first-ever win at the CWG, Srikanth has won accolades for his country in the previous edition. The 29-year-old shuttler had won 2 medals at Gold Coast 2018, including a silver (Men’s singles) and gold (mixed team event)

Both badminton stars who helped India win the historic first-ever Thomas Cup, earlier this year, qualified for the marquee event through a league-based trial conducted by the Badminton Association of India in April.

For World No. 10 Lakshya Sen, who rose to prominence in 2021, after winning the bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships in Huelva, the year 2022 has been booming. He has won the India Open 2022, his first ever super 500 title, and also became the first Indian male shuttler to reach the All England Open final in 21 years. However, the Almora-born shuttler has been out of action for a month due to some shoulder issue. He will now directly appear at the Birmingham 2022.

Meanwhile, Kidambi Srikanth, though did not win any medal in the ongoing season, he has reached the semifinals at the Swiss Open and Korea Open. At the Thomas Cup event, that India won, World no. 11 enjoyed an unbeaten run.