India's men's and women's doubles badminton team could not script a winning start in their respective matches of Rio Olympics, but they will be keen to register victory on Friday. They will look for inspiration from the singles players, who won their matches on Thursday.
The women's doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta, who are ranked 22 in the world, have another tough task against the Dutch pairing of Selena Piek and Eefje Muskens. The Indian pair have to find a way to beat their opponents to improve their chances of moving into the quarterfinals of the competition.
Though they were outplayed in the first match by Japan's Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi, Gutta- Ponnappa are in serious need to change their gear on Friday. The match against Piek-Muskens will not be easy as they will be in a confident mood after winning their first match.
The men's doubles pairing of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy were pitted against tough opponents from Indonesia, Ahsan Mohammad and Hendra Setiawan. Attri-Reddy lost the match, but they did show some fighting spirit against the top pair, who won the match 21-18, 21-13 yesterday.
The Indian pair are set to face the Chinese pairing of Biao Chai and Wei Hong, who are going to prove to be another strong opponent. The Chinese are ranked world number five, and have it in them to defeat any team in the world. After losing to Japan's pairing of Hayakawa and Endo, they will be keen to get their first points on the table against India.
Both the pairs are aware of the importance of today's match, which is a must-win for both Indian and Chinese pairs.
Where to watch live
Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa women's doubles contest is slated for 5:30 p.m IST (1 p.m BST, 8 am ET) and the men's doubles featuring Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy will start at 7:50 p.m IST (3:20 BST, 11:20 am ET).
India: TV: Star Sports 1/HD and 2/HD. Live Streaming: Starports.com and Hotstar.
UK and Ireland: TV: BBC. Live Streaming: BBCiPlayer.
USA: TV: NBC. Live Streaming: NBC Sports live extra, NBC Olympics
Brazil: TV: SporTV, Globo, Fox Sports and ESPN.
Australia: TV: Channel 7, 7Two and 7Mate. Live Streaming: Channel 7 online.
