It has been a few difficult years for the Indian badminton fan. With dwindling wins and ageing stars, the sport’s aficionado has been witnessing a slump for about a year and a half. The nadir came at the Asian Games, where the contingent drew a blank. It was a mediocre showing for a sport that has garnered considerable government and private support. Backing for the sport flourished following Saina Nehwal claiming the country’s first Olympic medal for badminton at London 2012. Four years later, P V Sindhu kept the flag flying.
What’s been astonishing in the past few months is that even a decade after Rio Olympics, Sindhu is still producing moments of magic that are shining through the broader gloom. Her latest win at the Hylo Open in Germany came months after her triumph at Japan Open. At 31, most shuttlers would be planning their retirement. But Sindhu is a rare breed which works hard to remain injury-free—that too over a career spanning one-and-a-half decades. She attributes this partly to playing for the joy of it. That’s the reason for having a cabinet brimming with five world championship medals, 10 Badminton World Federation Tour titles and two Olympic medals.
No matter her form, India can trust this big-game player to come back and deliver—just like she did for the two Open titles this year. Though her performances make her a medal hope for Los Angeles 2028, Sindhu is being realistic in taking things one tournament at a time for now.
On the flipside, no other Indian is challenging her for the billing. Unnati Hooda and Tanvi Sharma are performing well, but not at the level of Sindhu; nor do they have her consistency. The Badminton Association of India must be a worried lot—it needs to find a solution for youngsters like Hooda, Sharma and Ayush Shetty to remain dependable on the court. On the other hand, Lakshya Sen, who has had an indifferent year, managed to end his title drought by winning the Hylo Open men’s singles title. As with any sport, winning is good but consistency is the main goal. Badminton has given India several medals. For the shuttle to keep hitting the mark, the players must again raise their games.