India crashed out of the Sudirman Cup badminton tournament after suffering a humiliating 0-5 loss to Malaysia in their second Group C match. Star players Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu faced contrasting defeats, contributing to India's early exit from the tournament. After losing 1-4 to Chinese Taipei the previous day, India failed to deliver a strong performance against Malaysia, marking their second consecutive elimination at the group stage in the world mixed team championships.
In the men's singles contest, Srikanth struggled with erratic play and lost to world No. 8 Lee Zii Jia in a one-sided match. Sindhu, on the other hand, displayed a great fightback in the decider after squandering an initial game advantage but ultimately fell to a defeat against World No. 30 Goh Jin Wei. The Indian men's doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Ashwini Ponnappa put up a spirited effort but couldn't outwit the world No. 8 pair of Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie, losing in straight sets.
India's campaign continued to falter as Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy lost in the men's doubles, and Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly faced defeat in the women's doubles, resulting in a complete whitewash for India in the five-match tie. With this loss, India finished third in their group, while Chinese Taipei and Malaysia advanced to the quarter-finals.
Despite the disappointing outcome, Sindhu showcased resilience and expressed disappointment at losing crucial points. She mentioned her struggle with maintaining momentum and making unforced errors during the matches. Srikanth, looking to improve his game ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, recently hired Indonesian coach Wiempie Mahardi to assist him in training.
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