Singapore Open finalist Kidambi Srikanth on Monday called on his team to perform to the best of their capabilities at the upcoming Sudirman Cup in Australia where India have been placed in a tough draw.
“I feel we have a really tough draw as we are up against Indonesia and Denmark. I think these are one of the strong teams. So it won’t be easy but if it is our day, then we can win,” Srikanth, who along with Ajay Jayaram and HS Prannoy will be handling the responsibility of the men’s singles, told PTI.
“India is part of the top eight teams and all these teams are very strong but I feel we need to prepare ourself to play at that level and that is the only option, can’t think about the matches and draw. We have to bring out the best we can,” he added.
A final finish at Singapore Open sealed his World Championship berth, but Srikanth said he needed to curb his inconsistency to return with a medal from Glasgow.
After two title-winning performances at the 2014 China Open and the 2015 India Open that catapulted him to World No 3, Srikanth slipped to the 31st position in March following an ankle injury after the Rio Olympics. However, the Indian bounced back to reach the final at Singapore Super Series last month.
“I am happy with the way I came back from the injury, I mean to comeback and play at that level keeps me motivated.
Luckily I qualified for World Championship too so I am really looking forward to the event,” said Srikanth.
“There are many tournaments before I play at the World Championship so it would be very important for me to get the important match practice because I have been out of the international level.
“For me, playing consistently in the next few events is the target. World Championship is one of the most important tournament. So I really want to play well there and win a medal.