Heavy’s the burden of Fajar-Rian in filling void left by legends Ahsan-Hendra

Indonesia men’s doubles shuttlers Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto in action against England’s Ben Lane-Sean Vendy during the group match of Thomas Cup Finals at Hi-Tech Sports Centre in Chengdu, China on Saturday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

CHENGDU: Indonesia are missing the legendary Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan in the Thomas Cup Finals this time and this has left Fajar Alfian-Rian Ardianto shouldering the responsibility as the country’s most senior men’s doubles pair.

Fajar-Rian, who are currently ranked No. 7 in the world, acknowledged that they faced a tough task to fill the void left behind by Ahsan, 36 and Hendra, 39 and another former pair Marcus Fernaldi-Kevin Sanjaya but are embracing the challenge.