PV Sindhu birthday: Jwala Gutta, Kiren Rijiju lead wishes for ace shuttler

Grinding out in his 20s in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) and domestic cricket for Mumbai, Suryakumar struggled to make it to Team India, watching many of his peers get a national cap. Despite a purple patch in the IPL from 2018-2020, which saw him score 400-500 runs consistently, India's very own 'Mr 360' struggled to catch selectors' attention. But when he finally did at the age of 30, his next five years saw him live out a decade worthy of career highs and lows, making him one of the most intriguing figures of Indian cricket.

Sindhu, who was supposed to feature in the All England Open competition in Birmingham starting from Tuesday, was stuck in Dubai following a crisis which started due to a sharp escalation in West Asia after Israel and the United States launched coordinated strikes on Iranian military and nuclear-linked sites. The operation triggered retaliatory threats and airspace closures in several countries, including Iran and Iraq, disrupting major international air corridors.

The two-time Olympic medallist shared her relief and gratitude in a post on X, offering a glimpse into the anxiety she faced during the past few days.

PV Ramana, Indian star badminton player PV Sindhu's father, said that his daughter confirmed that the Indian Embassy in Dubai is taking care of her amid the Israel-Iran tensions and that they arranged accommodation for her in a hotel.

Both India and Pakistan have played two matches each in the tournament so far and have registered victories in their respective fixtures. While India will enter the contest on the back of wins against the United States of America and Namibia, Pakistan has defeated the Netherlands and the USA.