Time for badminton to look beyond seniors

The India Open, a major season opener, ended in disappointment as only the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the semifinals.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.(File Photo | PTI)
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The gap between elite shuttlers and India’s top singles players is slowly widening. The top Chinese, Korean, Malaysian, Thai and Indonesian players are edging ahead.

The difference in class and temperament is stark. If the Badminton Association of India (BAI) does not take drastic measures soon, things will slide downhill. Last year was quite a bad phase in the history of Indian badminton. Victories were few and titles hard to come by, especially in singles. Returning empty-handed from the 2024 Paris Olympics was the nadir.

The India Open, a major season opener, ended in disappointment as only the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the semifinals. The rest perished earlier.

It was a great opportunity for the shuttlers to reboot and find some spark, especially for established names like P V Sindhu and Lakshya Sen. It was a chance even for the younger players to hone skills and gain experience. The host nation had a total of 44 players - 27 entries across five categories. After three days, there were just four players left in the fray in three categories. After Day 4, Rankireddy and Shetty were the only silver lining as the last men standing.

This has brought the focus back on the lack of depth in singles. India had been over-reliant on some players. After her injury in late 2023, Sindhu has been toiling. Playing under a new coach in the India Open, the double Olympic medallist did show flashes of brilliance in the three matches, but looked far from the player who won medals at big events.

Lakshya’s campaign lasted a mere 37 minutes. H S Prannoy, another senior pro, fell at the first hurdle.

Srikanth Kidambi pulled out. Young Kiran George provided some solace, as did Malvika Bansod. But this is not enough to dominate at Los Angeles 2028. Talent is abundant, but nurturing it is the biggest challenge. The youngsters need more exposure.

Each category must have more than four backups. Most of the players need to work on fitness. BAI is looking to bolster bench strength not just in terms of quality, but also quantity. But to achieve these they need to take some drastic calls. Looking beyond seniors and aggressively backing some of the youngsters could be a starting point.

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