Srikanth, Sindhu, Prannoy: The Rise of Indian Badminton

From Saina’s medal at the 2012 Olympics to Kidambi’s climb, here’s a look at India’s upwards trajectory in badminton

Over the past two decades, badminton has been the most popular sport in China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and some European nations. Countries south-east of India, including China, have won the world's largest badminton tournaments. However, in the last four to five years, this barrier has been broken.

Some countries have managed to break the Chinese “wall” and achieve success in the game. The most recent country to produce new stars is India. Badminton has rapidly created a space for itself among the youth all over the country. In the villages, towns and cities of India, where until recently only cricket bats and balls were found, you see children playing with rackets and shuttlecocks.

Not only children, people in the age group of 30-50 have also included this game in their fitness routine.

Two to four years ago, Indian shuttlers such as Saina Nehwal, Jwala Gutta, and Pullela Gopichand were the only recognisable faces, especially among young people. But that is not the case anymore.

There has been a tremendous increase in the fan following of this game.

Saina’s Medal Starting Step

The London Olympics are seen as a golden chapter in India’s sporting history. A country that starved for one podium finish at the Olympics, finished the 2012 Games with five medals – including one in badminton won by Saina Nehwal in the women’s singles tournament.

That medal filled a belief across the country that we too could do well in this sport. Suddenly, children thronged badminton academies and a large number of boys and girls started looking at a future in this game.

Also Read: From Saina to Kidambi: How Pullela Gopichand Transformed Badminton

Sindhu Carries Forward the Legacy

Pullela Gopichand, who coached Saina during the London Olympics, has trained other stars in his Hyderabad-based academy.

Inspired by Saina's victory in 2012, 16-year-old PV Sindhu started preparations to stand on the podium in 2016. Under coach Gopi’s stringent training regime, Sindhu learned the tricks that helped her win India an Olympic medal.

After Saina's defeat due to injury, the country had given up hope of winning a medal at Rio. But Sindhu reached the final and told the world that India is no longer dependent on any one player for a medal. And Sindhu’s big Rio final was watched with as much fervour and enthusiasm as a cricket final.

Young children, who would not look beyond Kohli, Dhoni or Dhawan, were enamoured by Sindhu that day. News channels that didn’t care to flash any news about badminton, carried full coverage of the event. Social media was flooded with tweets for her, and Sindhu was one of the top trends on Twitter.

That atmosphere gave wings to the game. People suddenly became fond of badminton.

People who only spoke the language of straight drives and pull shots, now started taking an interest in smash, drop, rally and service court.

Male Shuttlers Catching Up

After Saina and Sindhu, the male shuttlers began aiming for the podium. Players like Kidambi Srikanth, Parupalli Kashyap, HS Prannoy, and Ajay Jayaram carried forward the momentum by making a mark in the World Super Series.

Often knocked out in the first or second round of the tournament, these Indian men are defeated some big names.

India now has 6 male players in the top 35, four of which will participate in the World Championship in August.

Kidambi Srikanth has won two major titles – Indonesia Open and Australian Open – in a week. While HS Prannoy defeated Olympic champions at the Indonesian Open.

Ajay Jayaram has also been performing well, while Sai Praneeth, Sameer Verma, Harsheel Dani and Lakshya Sen are making their presence felt in World Badminton. Parupalli Kashyap is troubled by injuries, but his magic on the court has all been seen by us.

Will India Overtake China?

With six male players and four female shuttlers in the top 25 of their respective categories, China has been leading the world of badminton. However, India has the potential to become the next superpower in this game.

With more Indian players doing well on the world stage, badminton is getting better coverage on TV, and matches are being live streamed on the internet. Badminton has become a serious career option, with champion coach Pullela Gopichand is producing one champions after the other.

Looking at its recent performance, India could bring home multiple medals in badminton at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

This article was originally published on Quint Hindi.

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