India crash out of Uber Cup, PV Sindhu’s lead slips

PV Sindhu India lost their strong position with a 0-5 loss to China, who once again proved why they are the most dominant team in the history of the tournament, winning a record 16 titles.India came into the draw under pressure after losing to Denmark earlier, although they bounced back with a victory over Ukraine. However, facing the powerful Chinese team, they needed everything to go smoothly, but that did not happen. Sindhu’s side gave hope to the Indian team with a stellar performance against world number two Wang Zhiyi. After losing the first game, she fought back and led 18-12 in the deciding game, and was expected to win the deciding game. But in a dramatic collapse, she lost six points in a row and lost 16-21, 21-19, 19-21.The loss set the tone for the rest of the game. Indian doubles pair of Priya Koenigbaum and Shruti Mishra lost comfortably against the top-ranked Chinese pair. Ishalani Baruah then had a chance to save India from relegation and showed her potential against Chen Yufei, but key errors, including a missed game point, cost her dearly as she lost in straight games, giving China an undisputed 3-0 lead.Even after the draw ended, the Indian players continued to fight. Treesa Jolly and Kavipriya Selvam extended their doubles match to three games but ultimately failed to do so. Devika Siharg also started strongly in the singles match but failed to maintain the momentum and lost after three games.While the scoreline looked one-sided, India did have chances but failed to capitalize on them at the crucial moment. The defeat once again highlighted the gap between India and a well-drilled Chinese team.Attention will now shift to the Thomas Cup, where the Indian men’s team has reached the quarter-finals ahead of a crucial clash with China.