Good morning and welcome to ESPN India’s daily live blog that will keep you updated on all things in and around Indian sport – the wins, the defeats, the ins and outs, the newcomers and veterans, in India and across the globe. From early in the morning to late at night, we’ve got you covered.
For example: Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has been given a protected ranking and she could be out of action until next year. How does this affect her preparation for the Paris Olympics, where she’s bidding for a third consecutive medal? And did you know that Indian football club Odisha FC played their third match in eight days to beat Maziya in the AFC Cup?
Tracking Indian sport can be tough, but we’re here to make it easy. Follow this space, every day.
Aditi, Priyansh one win away from gold
World champion Aditi Swami and U21 world champion Priyansh have made their way into the finals of the Compound Mixed team! The Indian duo beat Adel Zhexenbinova and Andrey Tyutyun of Kazakhastan 157-155 to set up a clash for the Asian Championships gold medal with Thailand.
What’s happening with PV Sindhu?
Long story short, PV Sindhu could be out of action until February 2024. As per Tuesday’s BWF rankings, the two-time Olympic medallist had the symbol for protected ranking next to her name. A player can submit a request for getting protected ranking when he/she is unable to compete in tournaments for a minimum of three months. The protected ranking basically ensures her ranking remains the same – #11 in her case – when she returns to the tour.
This comes as a blow to Sindhu as she just made a comeback earlier this year from a five-month layoff and she fought her way back into the world’s top 10. And how did Sindhu react to the development? By responding to a meme (hehe):
Made my day ���� https://t.co/ZALJTNxQf5
– Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) November 7, 2023
Our correspondent Zenia D’Cunha has more on Sindhu’s 2023 here.
What are the major Indian sporting events on November 8?
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Plenty to look out for at the Asian Archery Championships. The Asian Games gold medal-winning Indian trio of Aditi Swami, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Parneet Kaur are in the fray.
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The Ace Malaysia Squash Cup is on and India’s Saurav Ghosal takes is in action today.
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The National Games kabaddi finals get underway today. Pooja Hathwada, who was indispensable in the women’s Asian Games gold medal, will lead Haryana charge against defending champions Himachal Pradesh. Two giants of Indian men’s kabaddi will face-off in the other final as Naveen Kumar’s Services team takes on Pardeep Narwal’s Haryana.
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It’s day 2 of the National Junior Athletics Championships in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
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Real Kashmir face Churchill Brothers in the I-League