Renewed hope in home comfort

Seasoned pros Sindhu, Lakshya upbeat ahead of India Open challenge; chance for youngsters to gain ground

- ANMOL GURUNG @Chennai

IT is still early days to the start of the new Olympic cycle and there's a sense of renewed energy surrounding some of the elite shuttlers in the BWF circuit. That is predominantly the case for Indians as they'll be playing in familiar conditions in front of the home fans at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall during the Indian Open, which kicks off on Tuesday, in New Delhi.

PV Sindhu will mark her first appearance since her much talked-about marriage. Doubles aces Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, after reaching the semifinal stage in the season-opener in Malaysia, will be hoping to go the distance after reuniting with Malaysian coach Tan Kim Her.