Well yes they are, unless they pull something extraordinary against CHN and/or Oz to topple France. I don't see any of them happening
IND have a serious problem after they rested Kidambi and didn't send Satwiksairaj/Chirag plus Manu Attri got injured as well. I think it's not their default plan IND fielded this team against FRA. It's their best available team for the moment.
The entire Indian contingent is high on some cheap sh*t, first this ridiculous team lineup and that "costume". TH is that, Yonex just made Lining Designers look good
It could be another story if HSP playing first MS then BSP against Lucas Corvee. (it could be worse than the current combination I think) Their H2H record should be the reason why Prannoy didn't play against Brice Leverdez, their H2H is 1-1. Here, Sai Praneeth leading 2-0 in his H2H against Brice Leverdez while Sameer Verma also leading 1-0 against Lucas Corvee. It's expected Laksya Sen take 1 winning point as well since his H2H leading 2-0 against Toma Junior Popov. The losing second MS become the turning point here.
Most Shaking My Head decision I have ever seen from a Matured Group of People. FFS, Asia Championships was for providing exposure, a breathe of fresh air, mental test to these Youngsters and those semi-pros at Gopichand Academy. Thomas Cup means WAR. My goodness gracious.
Lakshya Sen of India has lost to Toma Junior Popov of France in 3 sets. A few weeks ago, there was a lot of hype about this 16-year old Indian when he pushed mighty Lin Dan to 3 sets. Today, all that hype will turn to disgruntlement I reckon.
Junior Popov is considered a prodigy I guess But to realise that he is better than Lakhsya Sen...A shock down my spine/
Yeah, but you could say the turning point is HSP being rested after his practice injury yesterday -- because FRA's Thomas Cup team had stronger MDs than IND's, so IND needed to win all 3 MS to take the tie. But that's just player selection-wise, FRA also seemed to have the upper hand when it comes to coaching & preparation -- the FRA men played to their strength by guarding the mid-to-front court (where their height/reach made the greatest difference), and then avoided their weaknesses by playing long lines (to make up for their slower movement/reaction) and aiming for mid-court/body shots (to make up for their less accurate raquet skills)... Except for Sai Praneeth, I don't see the IND men turning or moving the FRA men around to capitalize on their slower turning and movement, or the patience/confidence to carry out whatever game plan they had...maybe it's this "big game" experience that the IND youngsters needed?
Short-term result-oriented thinking like that is what killed CHN's tier/team-building -- Lakshya Sen has the most beautiful and natural movement of all the players on court today (including Sai Praneeth & Brice Leverdez) and a huge variety of shots to match... Please let him migrate to SGP immediately if IND doesn't want him, so that he can win a Commonwealth games medal for SGP in 8 years' time together with Loh Kean Yew from MAS -- don't hold on to him until he's too old to migrate like Wang Zhengming or Tian Houwei.
That is not going to happen. SGP nowadays only seem to take youngster from Malaysia or Indonesia that are studying in SG. They no longer take player from China after all the nightmares they had. Badminton in Singapore was like 1 step forward, 2 steps backward. Let hope coach Mulyo can up the skill of the Single players. For me, SBA should be run by former players or coaches that really love badminton.
There's more than just H2H to strategize a lineup. Form, physicality, mental toughness exposure, team spirit, were they not thinking at all? Just cause Sameer Had positive H2H and BSP had negative against Lucas doesn't automatically say one is better than the other, nor is enough to jeopardize your chances in the competition. Not alone did they risked the match2 but also match#3. No matter how talented you are, pressure of a "Biggie" and esp on your first year in the senior circuit can get to anyone I suppose. TUC is no "experience phishing" playground. If you have an outside chance you gotta make the most of it. Even CL feels it ffs Why don't people sometime take it simple. Just send your best against there best and may the better player/pair win. Too much thinking is the culprit in team events, CHN is Sudirman cup the recent apt example
That's another advantage for the youngsters, it's really a rare moment for the young players. They have never found a "big" moment at the individual event. This event should have a positive result no matter what the ending result.
