Shuttler PV Sindhu to be India's flag-bearer at CWG opening ceremony

Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu will be Indian contingent’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, according to IOA sources.

The 22-year old ace Indian shuttler was picked ahead of the likes of Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal due to a better colour of the medal at the Olympics and her recent performances.

Sindhu, who reached the semi-finals of the All England championships last week, was picked by the IOA as the flag-bearer after a meeting on Friday evening.

The 22-year-old is one of the country’s biggest medal hopes at the CWG and would look to improve on her bronze medal performance in the women’s singles at the Glasgow CWG in 2014.

This would be the first time in the last three editions of the Commonwealth Games that a badminton player would don the flag-bearer’s hat.

At the 2006 Melbourne CWG, Athens Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who is presently the Union Sports Minister, was the Indian contingent’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony.

At the 2010 Delhi CWG, it was Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra who carried forward the legacy at the march past.

At the 2014 Glasgow CWG, London Olympics silver medallist shooter Vijay Kumar was handed the responsibility of flag-bearer.