NEW DELHI: “Nahi. Mujhe bas jahaan bhi jaana, apna best dena hai. Aur acche se khelna hai (Nothing of the sort. For me, wherever I go, I just want to give my best and play a good game),” smiles Anmol Kharb.
It’s around 2 PM on Saturday. Away from the chaos of the national capital, the 17-year-old newest badminton sensation, who won the senior women’s singles nationals late last year and helped India win their first medal at the Asian Team Championships recently, is sitting in the office of Sunrise Shuttlers Academy in sector 104, Noida. She is visibly tired after a gruelling training sessions.
As she always does, Anmol had started the day at 5 AM with power training — something she does with boxers in Faridabad — and then, came to the Sunrise academy in Noida, finished two training sessions, from about 10.30 AM till 1.45 PM, before the conversation veered towards the limelight and expectations she is facing now. Her answer, with an assured tone and a smile, was a simple "emphasis on playing well".
For someone interested in skating, Anmol initially took up badminton because of it's indoor and something doesn’t cause that many nicks and bruises like skating. After her dad Devender Kharb built a court in the Faridabad neighbourhood for her elder brother, it did not take long for the then 10-year-old to fall in love with the sport. Once her father saw her performances in local tournaments, Devender signed her up at the Sunrise Academy around two years ago. With Kusumm Singh as a coach, the academy has been in Noida since January 1, 2021.
The rise, however, was not easy. This is what Anmol's daily schedule looks like. She and her mother Rajbala, travels every day to Noida for training. Power training early in the morning and then back-to-back sessions with Kusumm at the academy. The coach had known Anmol from even earlier in Faridabad and continued to mentor her for a year as her ward. Year 2023 was a massive step up in every sense as she beat Tanvi Khanna to win her first senior nationals title at the age of 16.
With the Badminton Association of India taking a plunge to include the teen prodigy from Haryana in the India team for the Asian Championships, Anmol showed no nerves. She won the clutch deciders to help the country clinch a historic gold in the women’s category last month. The years of hard work and toil apart, it does not take long to identify what makes Anmol stand out — her confidence. Ask her whose game she likes, “my own” comes the answer. “I love Saina di’s game. Mine is a bit similar to hers, but I love my game,” she says.
Where does this confidence come from? The answer lies in her personality. From a young age, Anmol had been this “socially extroverted” kid. Devender would often find her chatting with some player or the other - contemporaries, seniors and even opponents — in some other court after matches.
The list of players she defeated in Malaysia is impressive. Even within the India team that had the likes of PV Sindhu, Treesa Jolly, Gayatri Gopichand and Ashmita Chaliha, all it took her was the first meeting to make friends and become the “pampered youngster”. “On the first day we met, I made friends,” says Anmol. The teenager was even prepared to dance in front of the team as is the tradition for any newcomer to break the ice within the squad.
“I didn’t do any pranks because I didn’t want the coach to know that and get into trouble. Whenever newcomers are there, they will have to dance in front of the team. This time because of the finals everyone was focused. May be next time it might happen. For hours I was going through YouTube to see easy dance steps, and I did a bit of rehearsal with my roommate also,” she laughs.
Anmol's ability to make friends without any inhibition plays a significant role in what she does on the field. “I just try to focus on my game and give my 100 percent. The result is not in our hands. But having those conversations gives a lot of confidence like you have interacted and gotten attached socially, there is no reason to be intimidated. There is no fear at all,” she explains.
Her coach Kusumm, who has constantly conversed with Anmol to not be star-struck, elaborates: “You can be a star for a while, but you are always human. It is important because if you give too much importance to someone you forget who you are and your strength. Your opponent is just like you, but you cannot be intimidated by them. If you are, you cannot give your best and when you cannot, how will you know your level? Whether you lose or win is secondary. Once you give 100 percent you will come back either winning or learning.”
Dr. Ashok Ahuja, former head of Sports Medicine and Sciences at NIS, Patiala, says that Anmol’s confidence and willpower to go through the grind has brought her this far. “At the senior level, we talk of mental toughness, I think, thankfully, she has got that innate mental makeup to take up any challenges. The moment when we see her in training, she is very particular about it. Immediately when she returned (from Malaysia) before even we could tell her that celebrations should be over soon, she said ‘Sir, I went for my fitness in the morning’,” says Ahuja, a mentor at the Sunrise academy.
Kusumm, a former player, who took to coach when she was 23, recalls an incident from her first ever nationals when she was up against Saina Nehwal. For someone who had come from a small village in Rajasthan, Kusumm had no idea who Saina was, let alone how she plays. When her coach asked Kusumm if she could beat Saina, the then youngster said yes with all the confidence in the world. Understandably, she was blown away in the best of three (11-point games) and barely managed to get 2-3 points.
Thinking that her coach would scold her, Kusumm was taken aback by the praise that came her way. “My coach said I played ‘outstanding’. I did not understand. ‘Had I told you who she is, you probably would not have played as well as you did,’ he explained. I always tell the kids, ‘When you get to play against better players, don’t miss the opportunity to learn. And Anmol is not afraid. It was her debut in an international senior-level event. All opponents are so good that she didn’t have anything to lose. Definitely, responsibility was there, but the way she played fearlessly helped her. If she had thought too much, the results could have been different.”
Rising star of Delhi
The other fascinating aspect of Anmol’s rise to stardom is that she is one of the few to take the badminton world by storm from this part of the country. From 2010, barring Anupama Upadhyaya (2022, Haryana) no other women’s singles national champion have emerged from the northern zone. Anmol’s inspiration Saina, while born in Haryana grew up and made her name in Hyderabad.
Ask Kusumm why is that the case, the 35-year-old coach explains: “That time (during her playing days) infrastructure was less and parents are protective about the girl child, because of lack of exposure. Whatever you do, you do for your future and career, right? Everyone would want to know, if they do this, what will happen in the future. Slowly they started understanding. Tanvi is from Punjab, Anmol is from Haryana, and so are Anupama and Unnati Hooda. Slowly they are coming up because parents are aware, and the support system is better. The financial help is important. And more importantly, you will need the support early to match the early potential.
“Now, there are academies everywhere so they train there, but if you shift, the cost goes go up and when a girl child moves, the stress on parents goes up. Maybe, these are the reasons but they are relaxed now because of availability and affordability. There are more talented players now. My parents wanted me to shift to Hyderabad or Bengaluru but again in a family if you are not a single child, you have to take care of everyone and the family demands take precedence. The parents feel the helplessness but they don’t tell or want to do for the kids,” adds the coach, who is hoping Anmol gets good sponsors to pursue her craft in the circuit.
“Of course Olympic is long-term, but World Championships, All England, Individual and team events like Sudhirman Cup, Uber Cup. And for that we need funds. For practice, for coaches salary, for physio, counselling sessions and sparring partners. International exposure to travel, to get ranking points and for every tournament you need money in lakhs. Without support, the journey will be more difficult,” said Kusumm.
For to be part of the Asian team championships winning team is only the first stepping stone towards greater goals. More challenges await.
The conversation trails back to the expectations and limelight that is now on Anmol. Kusumm, while proud and happy about the attention on the 17-year-old, asks everyone to remember that her ward is still a teen and will go through her share of ups and downs.
“Expectations are more. The question of if she is the next big thing is upon her. It is only natural and you only expect that from someone capable. You can expect more, and rightly so, but please remember, she is human. It is her journey, she will go through her ups and downs. She is still a kid, a bit naughty as well. Behind all the confidence, sometimes she feels like she is losing her childhood. Let her be the way she is, and who knows? She might do wonders with the inner child in her,” Kusumm signed off.
