PV Sindhu and Satwiksairaj–Chirag spearhead India's Day 4 campaign at BWF World Championships in New Delhi

PV Sindhu and the men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty head India's lineup on Day 4 of the BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Thursday as the tournament reaches the round-of-16 stage.

India’s men’s singles outlook was altered on Day 3 when Lakshya Sen, the 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, was upset by USA’s Garret Tan 21-19, 19-21, 17-21 in the second round; the source described the American as superior in pace, attack and deception. Lakshya’s early exit removed one of India’s principal medal prospects in men's singles and shifted the burden to Ayush Shetty, who progressed with a straight-games victory over Sri Lanka’s Dumindu Abeywickrama and now meets Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan in the round of 16. The Thursday match for Ayush is India’s sole remaining men's singles contest following Lakshya’s departure.

The 30th edition of the BWF World Championships is being staged at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium and is being held in India for the first time since 2009, with several events having reached the last 16. Thursday’s schedule features multiple Indian entries seeking places in the quarterfinals across singles and doubles.

In women's singles, PV Sindhu is scheduled to face China's Wang Zhi Yi as part of India’s bid to advance to the final eight. Sindhu was specifically identified in the running order as India’s leading woman contender for Thursday.

India’s leading doubles combinations are also in action: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will meet Malaysia’s Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap, while the women's doubles pairing Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are drawn against Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi. In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto are set to play China’s Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui.

Every victory on Thursday will secure a place in the quarterfinals, making the round-of-16 matches decisive for the remaining Indian competitors at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.