PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy disappoint as India's run in Sudirman Cup faces group-stage exit

NEW DELHI: India's campaign at the BWF Sudirman Cup Finals came to an end following a 1-3 defeat to Indonesia in their group D encounter on Tuesday.
After their earlier 1-4 loss to Denmark on Sunday, India needed a victory to remain in contention for the knockout stage. Their upcoming match against England, who are also eliminated, holds no significance now.
Indonesia and Denmark secured their spots in the knockout phase with two consecutive victories each.
Denmark confirmed their progression with a 5-0 win over England on Tuesday.
India faced a crucial match, requiring a win to stay alive in the tournament, but found themselves overwhelmed by their higher-ranked opponents.
The continuing poor performances of their leading singles players, Prannoy and Sindhu, proved costly for the team.
Both Sindhu and Prannoy had previously suffered defeats in their singles matches against Denmark.
The Indian team began positively when Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto secured a hard-fought victory in mixed doubles against Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Gloria Emanuelle Widjala 10-21 21-18 21-19, in a contest lasting one hour and 10 minutes.
In the women's singles, two-time Olympic medallist Sindhu, currently ranked 18th, showed no signs of improvement as she went down 12-21 13-21 to world number 11 Putri Kusuma Wardani in 38 minutes, despite having beaten the Indonesian twice previously.
With the tie balanced at 1-1, Prannoy faced Jonatan Christie and claimed the first game 21-19. However, the world number six Indonesian dominated the subsequent games, winning 21-14 21-12 against the 30th-ranked Indian.
The women's doubles combination of Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra suffered a decisive 10-21 9-21 loss to Lanny Tria Mayasari and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti.