With Shi Yuqi not having recovered from his acute gastroenteritis, Lakshya Sen will instead face Li Shifeng when India take on China in the Thomas Cup. (BWF/Badminton Photo) With Shi Yuqi not having recovered from his acute gastroenteritis, Li Shifeng steps in his place as first singles against Lakshya Sen for the key Thomas Cup group tie to decide who finishes first or second. The tie starts 1.30 pm IST. It’s an interesting point in time for Li Shifeng. Not in the best of forms, he does have scores to settle against Sen, leading 8-7 in head to head overall, but having lost to the Indian at All England in 2026. Shifeng won all their faceoffs in 2025, but hasn’t been in best form this season. Stepping up to MS1 first singles, is a challenge, but Shifeng has always been a big occasion player. Sen lost to Victor Lai, but he is known to reserve his best for the big matches too. In 2023, he defeated Shi Yuqi in Asian Games Teams.…