GUWAHATI: Amidst a sea of young badminton prospects here at the ongoing BWF World Junior Championships, Indian teenager Rounak Chouhan is aiming to touch the sky. The National Centre of Excellence for Badminton in Amingaon, here, is where he has been brushing his skills for the past two years or so. With ambitions to lift his game before entering the senior stage, Rounak is aiming to bid goodbye to his junior career with aplomb.
C Lalramsanga (doubles specialist) and Unnati Hooda might have generated headlines in India's historic triumph over Korea, a victory in the quarterfinals that helped them secure bronze, Rounak had also made a telling contribution then. In fact, it was stuff of dreams for Rounak, given his strong association with the venue.
"It (win) was unreal. The atmosphere here in NCOE...all the fans cheering us, the teammates were also doing the same. It was a great feeling as this was the first time India had won a medal," he reflected.
In the deciding game, India were trailing by two points when Rounak stepped in for the third time on the day. After the completion of that tie, he had turned the tide in India's favour, handing the hosts a five-point lead. Hooda & Lalramsange, alongside mixed doubles partner Aanya Bisht, had applied the finishing touches. The youngster was just glad to be part of the history-making crew.
"Playing in front of your home crowd is a massive opportunity. It happens rarely. I was a bit nervous at the start. The team was trailing by two points and I conceded two more points. But I managed to regain focus by performing breathing exercises, something I do during matches. After that, I went on to win the tie. Maybe, that helped us. Unnati also did really well. Vishwa Tej Gobburu and Bhargav Ram Arigela (doubles pairing) also played their part. We had to do it because we were playing at home."
With the mixed team event done and dusted, Rounak is looking to carry forward the momentum into the individual events for Eye Level Cup, which is set to get underway from Monday.
The confidence level has soared but he is also bearing shades of nervousness, understandably so. "I'm confident as I have been training in the same centre for the last two years or so and I know all the conditions well. I have faced most players, who'll be part of this draw, in previous tournaments. It's a good opportunity for me. I kind of understand my rivals' thought processes. I am a bit nervous too," the 18-year-old from Raipur, who's the highest-ranked (Indian (Junior World No 14) in the men's singles draw, said.
Having picked up the sport after watching his elder sister play, Rounak said he has taken significant steps as a player after joining the NCOE in 2023. "Training here is tough, gym sessions and the on-court sessions. It's a great opportunity for all the trainees here. You get motivated when you see better playing coming against you every day. You tend to set a goal for yourself. I have been working more on my net game. My attack is one of my strengths and I also feel I play good variations from the back court. I'm also good at the defence part."
Visualization exercises before every match he enters has also worked wonders for him apart from his regular training sessions. "Before any match, I usually listen to music. I try to be in the zone and do some visualization before the match night."
His hunger to learn is evident as he is aware of the size of task ahead of him down the road. Having sampled a couple of senior tournaments (2024 nationals and All-India senior meet this year, he is hopeful of getting more match-experience at the high level.
"Maybe, I'll start some senior tournaments this year. From next year onwards, I want to feature at all senior-level events (domestic/international) because I'll be turning 19 next year. I would ideally want to be somewhere near top-50 in one-and-a-half years or so. Maybe, I could go on to represent India in the LA Olympics."
Ayush Shetty, a former medallist at this ongoing competition, is someone who has been making heads turn at the highest stage. Rounak is a massive admirer of Ayush and hoping to take a leaf out of his book.
"I played with Ayush Shetty and now he's doing really well. I played with him two years ago. That was a great experience and I feel I should learn the attacking and net skills from as he's quite good at it."
If Rounak can imitate Ayush, that will be an ideal scenario for Indian badminton.
