Lakshya Sen looks to find rhythm ahead of Commonwealth Games
Lakshya Sen, the world no.10 men's singles shuttler, said that the first matches at the Commonwealth Games will be crucial to find his rhythm back, after being out of action due to injury. The last tournament the Indian played was the Indonesian Open, where he lost to HS Prannoy.
Asked about his form after the injury layoff, Sen said, "It's pretty good. I have not played a tournament in a month. So I think the first few matches will be really important for me to get my rhythm back. But I am looking forward; the training which I have put in for the last three weeks will help me," Sen told reporters at the Cricket Club of India.
He claimed that the month-long break won't hamper his form, going into the CWG. "I think one month is not a long time to go out of form, if it was a two-three months gap, it would have been more difficult, but I feel again, the first few matches will be crucial and how I play. I feel I won't find that hard to (get back to the rhythm)," he insisted.
He also went on to say that facing Malaysian players at the CWG would be the biggest challenge in the competition. "It is natural to feel pressure in big tournaments like the Commonwealth Games and World Championships," he said.
On the other hand, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will resume training next week, after he had withdrawn from the Malaysia Open, post pulling his muscle. "Injury wise I am okay and fitness wise there were no issues," he maintained. Back in 2018, he won silver with his partner Chirag Shetty but would be aiming for gold this time around.
"In 2018, we were still a young pair; we were quite new to the world stage, playing top-ranked tournaments," said Chirag. "Now we are a more experienced pair, where we have top-level badminton, where we have been in the top 10 for three years now. The scenario is a lot different from (what) it was in 2018.
"This time we want to better ourselves than we did last time and hopefully we will be able to do that." Chirag also said their goal is to win the big events. "That is definitely our target, to win at the World Championships, The All England."