India’s badminton superstar PV Sindhu admits that the pressure is on at the Tokyo Olympics and she will be in the firing line.

The world champion, who won silver at the Rio 2016 Games, begins her tilt at gold on Sunday against Israel’s Ksenia Polikarpova. With Rio champion Carolina Marin out of Tokyo with a serious knee injury, World No. 7 Sindhu is among the favourites in what looks to be an open field. “There is definitely a lot of expectation. There are a lot more responsibilities and definitely there will be pressure,” said the Indian, reflecting on her status as reigning world champion.