GETTING rewarded for their hard work instantly, Nagpur shuttler Ritika Thaker and her partner Simran Singhi from Thane got a shot in their arm being selected for women’s doubles for the prestigious Uber Cup to be held in Bangkok this May.

They have represented the country in four Junior Asian Badminton Championships and one World Junior Championships. This is their first selection for the country in the senior category.

Reacting to the selection, Ritika said, “I am very, very excited to be selected for this prestigious tournament and promise to give my best. I am extremely happy to be with top Indian players with the likes of PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and Pranoy HS. It will be a great experience to be with them and train with them. I hope to learn a lot from these stars of badminton.”

Ritika and Simran will be participating in the Asian Badminton Championships at Manila before the Uber Cup. Ritika is a student of Hislop College, Nagpur. She trains under Ajay Dayal at Ajay Dayal Badminton Academy, Nagpur and Suchitra Academy Hyderabad. She thanks her coaches at her academy, Arun Lakhani, Mangesh Kashikar members of Nagpur District Badminton Academy, Maharashtra Badminton Academy and her college for their support.