No Lakshya, Satwik for Korean tie with Ayush on MS1 duty; Tanvi Sharma loses to World No 10 Gao Fangjie

4 min readUpdated: Feb 6, 2026 09:32 AM A shuttle she left on the backline in Sindhu-sque fashion at 13-10 will haunt Gayatri Gopichand for a few hours if not days at least. Facing decorated Chinese doubles shuttler Jia Yi Fan pairing with Zhang Shu Xian for the Asian Team championship, Indians had been going solid in the second set with a three points cushion, before the Indian let one drop at the back. It cost the team dearly, as the Chinese top doubles pair claimed the next 5 points and flipped the momentum to go 2-0 up in the quarters.
Treesa-Gayatri had done well to go level from 10-16 down in the first set, but couldn’t close out the opener. They had their chances again in the second, but Jia – considered a modern day Chinese doubles legend – was always full of tricks. She was repeatedly stumped both Gayatri and Treesa managing net shots that went diagonal and dropped delightfully close to the net, as well as going for the lines. But in the end, Indians couldn’t handle the barrage that the Chinese unleashed.
Rakshitha Sree Ramraj needs to beat Xu Wen Jing to keep India alive.
Tanvi outplayed
Earlier, India started Friday glumly as Tanvi Sharma began the quarters, going down 21-9, 21-9 to World No 10 Gao Fangjie. It was always going to be a tall task for the young World Juniors runners-up, ranked No 42 in seniors.

But she is fast discovering that not only does topflight badminton need excellent strokes – which she is in possession of – but most Indian shuttlers trying to break through have fallen at the stamina challenge that requires you to play opponents of a fairly high level for 5 straight days with the jeopardy rising with every passing day. Week in, week out.
Playing China’s second string, is as is a severely intimidating prospect for those new on this level, but Fangjie turned on the pace or made Tanvi look slower from the word go. Clearly exhausted from two days of leading India’s WS1 duties, where she beat higher ranked Busanan Ongbamrungphan, Tanvi could raise her levels at any point in the match, after trailing 0-3 in both, and watched India go 0-1 down in the tie.
When India won the title, Ashmita Chaliha and Anmol Kharb besides the dependable Treesa-Gayatri had shored up India despite the WS1 loss, and India will need an encore with Rakshitha Ramraj and Surya Charishma.Story continues below this ad
India’s is a development squad with last minute withdrawal of PV Sindhu and missing on World No 24 Unnati Hooda, but Tanvi needs to address her endurance deficits that cost her games as the week goes deep, even beyond this team event.
No Lakshya, Satwik playing; Hari-Chirag pair up
World No 25 Ayush Shetty will lead India’s charge in men’s again, lining up as MS1, after Lakshya Sen continued to not play after the Japan tie and loss to Loh Kean Yew in the Singapore faceoff.
It is yet unclear if it was a precautionary call against aggravating an injury, or a simple matchup selection, where Ayush takes on Yoo Tae Bin. Koreans are notoriously over-achieving at team events, playing better than what their rankings suggest, and Tae Bin might need a bit of firepower to get thrown at him. Ayush had beaten Kenta Nishimoto on Thursday, but like Tanvi his fitness on back to back days will be tested.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy is also not penned in to play. So Hariharan Amsakarunan will pair with Chirag Shetty. Kidambi Srikanth is scribbled in for MS2 to play Choi Ji Hoon while Pruthvi Krishnan – Sai Pratheek resume their partnership for MS2. Tharun Mannepalli is fielded for MS3 against Cho Hyeon Woo, after HS Prannoy wasn’t very effective against Japan.Story continues below this ad
Much will depend on how Srikanth and Chirag respond to the absence of key teammates. Though Ayush Shetty will need to give India the early boost.
 
 
 
 
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Shivani Naik is a senior sports journal and Assant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball.

Professional Profile
Role: Assant Editor and Column at The Indian Express.

Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics.

Writing Style: Her work is characterized “technical storytelling”—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides “long reads” that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium.

Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025)

Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond:

Indian Badminton’s “Hulks”: She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style.

PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her “sparkle” and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps.

The “Group of Death”: In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals.

Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of “backhand deception” in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas.

Legacy and Hory: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing horical context to current Indian successes.

Notable Recent Articles
BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025)

The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025)

Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025)

Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025)

Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025)

Other Sports Interests

Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith’s dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts.

You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. … Read More

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