SHAH ALAM – Experienced women’s and mixed doubles player Ashwini Ponnappa has pledged to guide India to a favourable result against powerhouse China at the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC), scheduled to take place tomorrow.
Speaking to Scoop, the 34-year-old shuttler, a Commonwealth Games double gold medalist and an Asian Games bronze medalist, said the tournament will be a stepping stone for her young teammates to gain more competitive exposure in the years to come.
Out of 10 Indian women shuttlers who were fielded in the tournament, eight are below the age of 25, with women’s doubles player Tanvi Sharma being the youngest at just 16 years old.
The average age of the Indian national women’s team for the tournament is 22.6 years old.
“Being a senior player, it’s refreshing to see a lot of youngsters in the Indian team who are barely 17 to 18 years old. It reminds me of my younger days.
“This tournament is really good for the young girls in our team, and I’m excited to see them getting game exposure by competing against some of the best teams in the world at a very young age.
“I will keep guiding these young girls to reach their goals, and I wouldn’t be surprised if these girls end up winning more medals for India than me in the future.
“I will make sure that I give them all the knowledge that I have gained over the years of competing and mould them to be even better than me in the years to come,” said Ashwini when met after the test court session at Setia City Convention Centre yesterday.
Ashwini, who has also won two Uber Cup bronze medals at the 2014 New Delhi and the 2016 Kunshan, added that her team should not take their Chinese opponents lightly.
China is the top seed in both the men’s and women’s divisions of the tournament.
“As a team, we are hoping to do well. We have a tough group stage, and it’s not going to be easy as we need to battle against China.
“China is extremely strong, and we view them as a threat. We know what they are capable of if given too much space and opportunity.
“We aim to do well and win as many games and points as possible against them.
“I also hope that the girls will not take this tournament lightly, as I would love to see them giving their 100%, battling and fighting their hardest so that they can improve themselves and challenge their future opponents with ease,” Ashwini added.
India’s women’s team will face China in Group W, while the men’s team will take on China and Hong Kong in Group A.
The top four teams from both the men’s and women’s events will qualify for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in China on April 28 to May 5. – February 12, 2024
