Odisha CM Naveen congratulates Kidambi Srikanth who is all set to become World No. 1

KalingaTV News Network

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday congratulated Indian ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth, who is all set to become World No. 1 once the Badminton World Federation (BWF) updates their rankings this week. Srikanth will be the first Indian man to achieve this fabulous feat in the modern ranking era.

Taking to his twitter handle, Patnaik said, “Congratulations @srikidambi on becoming World No.1 in Badminton & helping India win its first ever Team Gold at #GC2018. Wish you the very best for future. Keep playing, keep winning!”

The 25-year-old ace shuttler will join Saina Nehwal in the elite list to become only the second Indian to achieve the feat. Prakash Padukone was regarded as the top ranking world player when the computerised ranking system was not there.

Srikanth will move to the top of rankings with 76,895 points in men’s singles category. He will displace current No. 1 and world champion Viktor Axelsen.

Srikanth, who secured the World No. 2 ranking in November, won four Super Series titles – Indonesia, Australia, Denmark and France in 2017 and went on to become only the fourth in the world to achieve that feat.

Earlier on Monday, he had played a vital role in India’s gold-medal winning campaign at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2018 in Gold Coast. The Indian badminton team created history as they won the first-ever gold, beating three-time and defending champions Malaysia 3-1 in the final.