CHENNAI: The last few days have been dream-like for Hariharan Amsakarunan. One of the new faces in the men's badminton team, the doubles specialist, along with partner MR Arjun, helped India capture a bronze medal in the Thomas Cup at Horsens, Denmark.
For someone who grew up in Thanjavur, he has made notable strides. The 22-year-old is naturally stoked with what has transpired this week. The joy that this campaign has brought to him is something that can't be quantified.
"I'm feeling very happy because this was my first time. A lot of experienced players are there and I learnt a great deal. The fact that I got a medal in my first appearance makes it special," Hariharan told The New Indian Express from Horsens, Denmark.
Hariharan and singles specialist Ayush Shetty were representing the team for the first time. Along with veterans like HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth, the team was looking to emulate their 2022 run, where they had captured a historic gold. But they were stopped in their tracks by France in the semifinals on Saturday, but it was nevertheless yet another noteworthy campaign for the team.
Hariharan and Arjun, who train at the Gopichand Academy, could not feature in the knockout stages of the competition but they had played their part in the group stages with two victories and a loss in three outings. The youngster was just thrilled to be part of this group.
"Badminton is generally an individual sport. We only play as a team once or twice (a year). So this team coordination is highly important. I got to learn a great deal from the experienced players, Prannoy and Srikanth anna (elder brother)."
Hariharan said the senior players had helped him calm his nerves during his first-ever appearance. He also said Prannoy was one of the leaders, who was vocal during the course of the event.
"I knew I could beat them (Ty Alexander Lindeman and Nyl Yakura of Canada) easily but I had little pressure since this is a team event. But everybody was highly encouraging. The seniors used to give motivational speeches, speak about their experiences, the things that they do during matches. Everybody shared their experiences. Prannoy anna is the most experienced and he was leading the team."
Since forging a partnership with Arjun last year, Hariharan is still in the process of learning at the moment at the elite level. He felt consistency is the main currency for success.
"Playing at the Super 750 and Super 1000 level, there is a clear gap in quality at these high levels from what we were used to. It's a huge difference. It's highly tough to sustain high performance at this level. We are now looking to get more experience. Now, there are events like the World Championships and Asian Championships coming up, we want to be prepared for those events."
"If I play with World No 1 too, consistency is what matters. We play five or six shots and make mistakes. They play maybe 50 shots and make a mistake. That is the difference. So I need to improve on that aspect, play 50, 60 strokes without making a mistake."
There are youngsters from Tamil Nadu who have been springing some notable victories at the top level but the sport is far from popular in the state. Hariharan hopes things will change for the better soon.
"The Tamil Nadu government and badminton federation is highly supportive and they have been encouraging me for some time now. But I feel there's still massive scope for growth. For instance, not many will be aware of this feat. Not many understand the significance of the Thomas Cup."
Having taken a significant step at Horsens, Hariharan, who's currently ranked World No 34 along with his partner, is hopeful of producing more wins and breaking into the top-20 by the end of this year.
