‘Too premature’: BAI rejects reports about appointing foreign coaches
The media reports claimed that BAI appointed Irwansyah as the new singles coach for the men and women while Tan Him Ker was roped in as the doubles coach for both categories.
Star shuttler PV Sindhu's win was the only bright spot on a dismal day as India suffered a 1-4 loss to Denmark in their opening match of the Sudirman Cup mixed team championship here.
Up against two-time runners-up Denmark, India came a cropper after they lost the first three ties — mixed doubles, men's singles and men's double –, to go down 0-3 in the five- match rubber.
Starting the proceedings, the experienced Ashwini Ponnappa and the young Satwiksairaj Rankireddy paired up and displayed good fighting spirit before going down 15-21 21-16 17-21 to the London Olympics bronze-medallist combo of Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen in the mixed doubles match that lasted an hour and 10 minutes here.
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A lot was expected from World No.13 Ajay Jayaram after his recent success against Viktor Axelsen at the Malaysia Open but the Mumbai shuttler capitulated 12-21 7-21 in just 27 minutes as India slipped to 0-2.
In the men's doubles match, Rio Olympians Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy crossed swords with former Olympic silver- medallists Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen.
After 33 minutes, it was the Danish pair which emerged victorious 21-17 21-15.
Olympic silver-medallist P V Sindhu then saved India some embarrassment with a 21-18 21-6 win over Line Kjaersfeldt in a 32-minute women's singles match.
In the fifth match, the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold runners-up pair of Ashwini and N Sikki Reddy fought hard before losing 21-18 15-21 21-23 to Olympic silver-medallists Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna as Denmark wrapped up the contest 4-1.
India will next face former champions Indonesia on Wednesday.
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