Eighth-seeded Srikanth, who had reached the finals of a BWF World Tour event after 17 months at the India Open last week, defeated Thailand's Khosit Phetpradab 21-11, 21-15.
PV Sindhu defeated World No. 20 Aya Ohori 22-20 21-12 while Kidambi Srikanth got the better of Ihsan Maulana Mustofa 21-18 21-16.
Sindhu, a 2017 champion and 2016 finalist, edged out Denmark's eighth seed Mia Blichfeldt 21-19, 22-20 in a closely-fought contest to set up a clash with China's He Bingjiao.
PV Sindhu brushed aside fellow Indian Mugdha Agrey 21-8, 21-13 in women's singles.
PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth will be expected to keep India's hopes afloat in the USD 350,000 India Open starting Tuesday.
Last week, Saina, who had reached the quarter-finals of the All England Championship, had broken the news that she was advised to get admitted to get treated for her illness.
World No.9 Nehwal went past the Scottish shuttler 21-17, 21-18 in the first round of women's singles.
Fifth-seeded Sindhu, who was beaten by Sung Ji twice in last three meetings, lost 16-21, 22-20, 18-21, despite saving as many as eight match points in the second and third game.
It was Sindhu and Saina's mentor and current chief national coach P Gopichand, who was the last Indian to win the championship back in 2001.
Terming the opportunity to fly Tejas as a great experience, the 23-year-old said that she is really "honoured."
Morten Frost believes that although there won't be any clear favourites but he is read to stick his neck out for the young Japanese woman.
The three-time former champion Saina used her powerful smashes to telling effect, registering a 21-18 21-15 win against Sindhu, a two-time winner, in the summit clash.
In a repeat of last edition's title clash at Nagpur, the two stalwarts will look to outdo each other and write another chapter in their on-field rivalry.
Pujara, his national teammates Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah were nominated for the Sportsman of the Year (Team Sport) award, along with Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri.
PV Sindhu beat Riya Mookerjee 21-16 21-7 in 28 minutes to progress to the semifinals while Lakshya Sen beat Aryamann Tandon 21-14 21-10 in the quarters of the National Badminton Championships.
A former champion, Sindhu took time to get into the groove before claiming a 21-11 21-13 win over Malvika, who is a gold medallist at the South Asian U-21 Championship in Nepal.
With silver medals at all the major events, including the Olympics, World Championship, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, Sindhu has been a formidable force in the world in the last three years.
Nobody from India has won the All England Championships in the last 18 years.
Sindhu and Saina will undoubtedly be the biggest attraction with some big names as last edition's finalists -- Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy are giving the tournament a miss due to fitness issues.
The next big event for Sindhu will be the All England Championship, a tournament last won by her mentor and chief national coach Pullela Gopichand in 2001.
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