The Sudirman Cup will be played in Vantaa, Finland, from September 26 to October 3, 2021. The Indian team will leave for Finland late on Tuesday night.

Mishra will be assisted by two foreign coaches, Agus Dwi Santosa and Dwi Kristiawan during the biennial mixed team championship. Both Agus Dwi Santosa and Dwi Kristiawan are Indonesian coaches. While Santosa is for singles, Kristiawan is for doubles. Mishra will be part of the three-coach panel for the Sudirman Cup.

The ten-day long national camp, which began in Hyderabad on September 12, concluded on Tuesday, informed Mishra.

The team was chosen after a five-day selection trial held earlier this month at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad.

The chief junior national coach did not think much about the absence of Indian badminton queens Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu. Both Sindhu and Saina opted to skip the tournament for personal reasons.

Good chance for Malvika and Aditi in the absence of Saina-Sindhu: Mishra

It is a rare occasion in recent history that both Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu have not been part of the Indian team for a major tournament.

The Indian team consists of experienced shuttlers like B Sai Praneeth, Kidambi Srikanth, Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy. World No. 10 pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are now a formidable unit.

Another doubles combination, Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun, can perform well if given a chance.

All eyes will be on 20-year-old Nagpur shuttler Malvika Bansod. The left-hander earned her place in the side on the basis of her impressive showing in the selection trials. She remained unbeaten throughout the competition.

India No. 2 Malvika will be playing a crucial women’s singles in the absence of Sindhu and Saina.

Aditi Bhatt of Uttarakhand also excelled in the trials. She surprised higher-ranked players like Aakarshi Kashyap and Ashmita Chaliha to secure a spot as the second singles player.

Goa’s Tanisha Crasto and Rutaparna Panda of Orissa are looked at as a future women’s doubles combination. They have the potential to serve the national team for many years.

India have been drawn with defending champions China, three-time semi-finalists Thailand and hosts Finland in Group A of the Sudirman Cup Finals.

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