Indian badminton is reaching new highs with every passing championship. The sport has seen incredible growth in the last 4-5 years. In fact, it’s undeniably the golden phase of Indian badminton. With the younger crop of players rising up the world rankings, Indian badminton is set to get even stronger with more championship challengers set to emerge in the immediate future.
If the sport’s history in the country is considered, India had produced only a handful of star players in the past until the emergence of the prodigious Saina Nehwal. There was Prakash Padukone, then Syed Modi and Pullela Gopichand. Nehwal emerged as a breath of fresh air in Indian badminton as she single-handedly ended the Chinese domination of the sport, capping it with an Olympic bronze in the 2012 London Olympics and also securing the World No. 1 ranking. The next Olympics - in Brazil 2016 - saw the emergence of PV Sindhu as the next big star in the sport as she gradually moved up the world badminton ladder with consistent performances. Sindhu’s silver in Rio salvaged the pride of success-hungry Indian public after the collective flop show of its athletes, and for that her lion-hearted performance will stay etched in the memory of the nation.
Another player that stood out in the 2016 Olympics was Kidambi Srikanth. The Hyderabad lad had shown glimpses of great potential before - he defeated Olympic Champion Lin Dan in 2014 China Open Super Series Premier in straight games to become the first Indian to win a Super Series Premier Men’s title. In the spotlight again, in Rio, Srikanth was India’s big bet for the elusive medal. Srikanth didn’t disappoint. He showed his silken skills and big-game temperament in his march into the quarter-finals. However, his campaign was cut short by Dan in the last-eight clash.
From that bitter disappointment in Rio to the ecstasy of winning his second Super Series title on the trot in Australia on Sunday, Srikanth has re-emerged as the poster boy of Indian badminton. Srikanth certainly is in the form of his life after returning from injury in April. He has made it to three finals and won two. Beating Chen Long, the Olympic and All England champion, in straight games in the final Down Under is a great statement from the Indian. The world championships in Glasgow will be a big test for the Guntur lad but he looks ready for bigger things in the sport.
