CWG 2018: Sindhu declared fit

The 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist has been nursing an ankle injury.

A file picture of P. V. Sindhu. The Indian star has a first round bye and will play against Andra Whiteside (Fiji) to begin her campaign.

The word that the whole of India was waiting is finally out. P. V. Sindhu, the World No. 3 and top seed in the women’s badminton singles at the XXI Commonwealth Games, has been declared fit to take the court at the Carrara sports arena 2 here on Wednesday.

Through the past fortnight, the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist has been nursing an ankle injury sustained while being engaged with her final preparations for this event. Consequently, the Hyderabad shuttler was kept on the sidelines as her team-mates combined well to take the mixed team event gold on Monday, overpowering Malaysia 3-1.

Though the team coach, Pullela Gopi Chand was not immediately available for comment, a top-ranking official of the Indian delegation was the one who confirmed Sindhu’s fitness to play the open event. Sindhu, who has drawn a first round bye, will play against Andra Whiteside (Fiji) to begin her campaign and bid for the title, she so badly missed in Glasgow 2014, losing in the semifinals.

At the other end of the draw will be the experienced Saina Nehwal, ranked No. 2, who will take on Elsie de Villiers (South Africa) in her campaign opener.