Raise Alert Level Against India

XIAMEN, MONDAY – The arrival of the Indian team, which is not at full strength, in the mixed team badminton championship of the Sudirman Cup opens up winning opportunities for Indonesia. However, competition on the court cannot be predicted, so Jonatan Christie and his teammates must not be complacent.

The match between Indonesia and India at the Fenghuang Gymnasium, Xiamen, China, on Tuesday (29/4/2025), starting at 16:00 WIB, will be the second match for both teams in the Group D competition. The "Red and White" team will enter this match after defeating England 5-0, while India lost 1-4 to Denmark two days prior. At the same time, Denmark will face England.

In a more even competition compared to other groups, especially between Indonesia, Denmark, and India, the match for each team in Group D is a tough match. Every result up to the points obtained will greatly affect their journey: continuing to the quarter-final phase or being eliminated. To qualify for the quarter-finals, the requirement is to be ranked second in the group after competing in a round robin format.

India poses a greater challenge for Indonesia compared to England. The strong nation from South Asia has a combination of senior players and young players who are champions of the BWF World Tour tournaments, often making it difficult for Indonesian athletes.

However, health issues and injuries have prevented India from fielding its best men's and women's doubles teams. Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy are absent from the Indian men's doubles squad due to illness. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) announced the condition of the men's doubles semifinalists from the 2022 World Championship just six days before the Sudirman Cup commenced on April 27.

With the composition of players brought by India, Indonesia has an advantage in men's and women's doubles. Meanwhile, in the other three events, greater caution is required as the strength is balanced with India.

Previously, the women's doubles pair, Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand Pulela, was confirmed to be absent due to a shoulder injury sustained by Jolly. In fact, the performance of the 21 and 22-year-old duo had been gradually improving since 2024, notably by winning their first title at the BWF World Tour tournament at the Syed Modi International Super 300. This year, they reached the quarter-finals of the All England and the semi-finals of the Swiss Open consecutively.

Shetty/Rankireddy could actually pose a tough challenge for the Indonesian men's doubles. For instance, Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto have lost in four of their last six encounters. The pairing of Muhammad Shohibul Fikri with his former partner, Bagas Maulana, stands at a tie of 4-4, while Fikri/Daniel Marthin have yet to face the gold medalists of the 2022 Asian Games.

Without Shetty/Rankireddy, Indonesia also has the opportunity to win this event. The 11th-ranked Indian doubles pair has been replaced by their substitutes, Hariharan Amsakarunan/Ruben Kumar Rethinasabapathi, who have only been able to compete in tournaments at the Super 300 level and below. Among the five Indonesian men's doubles players, only Fikri/Bagas have faced them and won in the 2022 Men's Team Asia Championships.

In the women's doubles, one of the two Indonesian pairs may face Tanisha Crasto/Shruti Mishra, who are competing against Denmark. Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi or Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti/Lanny Tria Mayasari must remain vigilant as Crasto/Mishra contributed the only point for India when facing Denmark.

"With the composition of players brought by India, Indonesia has an advantage in men's and women's doubles. Meanwhile, in the other three events, we must be more cautious as the strength is balanced with India," said the Head of Development and Achievement Division of PP PBSI Eng Hian, on Monday.

If Indonesia can take advantage of the open opportunities in the women's and men's doubles, it only needs to secure one victory from the other three events. Based on the statistics of the matchups between the players likely to compete, the competition in men's singles, women's singles, and mixed doubles will be balanced.

In these three events, there is a strong possibility of player substitutions in the Indonesian Team compared to the previous match. As stated by Eng Hian, careful consideration is needed in selecting the athletes who will compete.

After the withdrawal of the third men's singles player, Mohammad Zaki Ubaidillah, Jonatan Christie has become the most likely player to compete. India can also replace Prannoy H.S. with Lakshya Sen, especially since the 23-year-old athlete has a 4-3 advantage over Jonatan.

From these results, Sen achieved victory in the last two meetings, namely in the group stage of the Paris 2024 Olympics and the second round of the All England 2025, each in two games. The defeat in Paris 2024 caused Jonatan to be eliminated in the group stage, while the moment at the All England led the number one men's singles player from Indonesia to fail to defend his title.

In the preparation period for the Sudirman Cup, Jonatan stated that the men's singles matches against India and Denmark will be challenging for Indonesia. The break of less than two weeks after the Asian Championships in Ningbo, China, from April 8 to 13, is utilized to maintain fitness and address various shortcomings in performance throughout the year.

Another factor that Jonatan stated is very important is mental readiness, as the results of matches in the team championship will affect the team's outcome.

The women's singles and mixed doubles numbers can also replace Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo and Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari. Putri Kusuma Wardani can fulfill her role as the first women's singles in the absence of Gregoria Mariska Tunjung.

The daughter is trailing 1-2 against Pusarla V Sindhu, but has several factors that can be leveraged as opportunities. The 22-year-old athlete won in their last encounter in the second round of the 2023 Swiss Open. Additionally, when facing Denmark, Sindhu lost to Line Hoejmark Kjaersfledt.

In the mixed doubles category, the experience of winning in the semifinals of the German Open two months ago allowed Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja to perform. In Germany, Rehan/Gloria won with a score of 25-23, 10-21, 21-15.

From the first competition of Group C that took place on Monday, two of the strongest teams, Malaysia and Japan, achieved victories with a score of 5-0. Malaysia won against France, while Japan defeated Australia.

France actually has athletes ranked in the top ten in the world, namely men's singles player Alex Lanier, and the pair Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue. Additionally, there are the brothers Christo/Toma Junior Popov, who are ranked 18th in men's doubles. However, none of them represented France in Xiamen.

In Group B, South Korea once again lost in the men's singles event. They lost that match while winning 4-1 against Canada on Monday, and when they defeated Canada with the same score the day before.

Of the five events, men's singles has become a weakness for South Korea due to the absence of top world athletes. The country's best men's singles player, Jeon Hyeok-jin, is only ranked 42nd in the world.