Indian badminton needs to regain that golden touch

The crowning glory for India in badminton in recent years came in 2022 with the men winning the Thomas Cup for the first time, defeating holders Indonesia in the final. During the time, badminton was the most talked about sport in India after cricket and that is the ultimate tribute to its popularity. But after such a phase of sustained excellence, Indian badminton has started to falter and there is a palpable decline in the standards, says Partab Ramchand, and offers an engaging perspective

There was a time not too long ago when interest in badminton was at an all time high in India thanks to the superb showing by the players around the international circuit. Apart from cricket which enjoys huge popularity whether the Indian team does well or not, the popularity of other sports rises or falls depending on how the players fare. And thanks to the exploits of Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, H.S. Prannoy, K. Srikanth, Lakshya Sen and the doubles pair of Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, Indian badminton enjoyed unprecedented popularity for over a decade.

The crowning glory came in 2022 with the Indian men winning the Thomas Cup for the first time defeating holders Indonesia in the final. During this time badminton was the most talked about sport in the country after cricket and that is the ultimate tribute to its popularity. But after this phase of sustained excellence, Indian badminton has started to falter and there is a palpable decline in the standards. The players are making little progress around the international circuit, the medals have dried up and what is even more alarming is that while the leading players are faltering there is no fresh talent on the horizon to halt the slide.  

Confirmation that there was a slide in the sport was driven home by the fact that India returned home without a medal in badminton at the Paris Olympics last year. In three successive Olympics from London 2012 onwards, Indian badminton had a medal to show in each, with a silver at Rio 2016 as the best, thanks to Sindhu who, at that stage of her career, was in a zone of her own. Sindhu had ensured the continuity with a bronze again in Tokyo 2020. At this stage of evolvement in Indian badminton, it seemed each Olympics from then on would have a glorious chapter to add to history. But Paris proved to be a disappointment when expectations were that the country’s shuttlers would garner not one but two medals.  Indeed, the way Lakshya had shaped and the momentum that the doubles team of Satwik and Chirag had set, everything seemed within grasp till it became a story of so near, yet so far.

Till then, everything had been hunky-dory. Lakshya had shown delicate touch in defeating the reigning All England Champion Jonatan Christie of Indonesia, and then colleague Prannoy, en route to the semi-final, the first Indian male to reach the last-four stage in an Olympics. In the semi-final, he lost to reigning Olympic Champion Viktor Axelson of Denmark but he was still in the running for a bronze with a play-off against the other semi-final loser, Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia. Leading by a game, the Indian ace seemed on course before losing his way. Then, the other medal hope, Satwik and Chirag, crashed out in the quarterfinal and all hopes of even a single medal evaporated. Sindhu had earlier struggled before bowing out in the round of 16, while the women’s doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponappa did not cross the group stage.

Indian badminton’s fairy tale had started in 2012 courtesy Saina Nehwal, a class player who experts agree changed the shuttle landscape in India with her historic bronze at the London Olympics. Until then, the lustre to the sport had come from players like Prakash Padukone, the first Indian to win the All England title in 1980. Some 20 years later, P. Gopichand emulated Padukone’s feat. But it was Saina who vaulted to fame with her sparkling show that included winning medals in the world championship, world junior championship and the Commonwealth Games, besides other international events. Suffice to say that the first Indian woman to earn the world No. 1 ranking once had inspired the generation to follow with her exploits. 

Picking up a leaf from Saina’s great show was Sindhu who was the next Indian to grab attention with her medal-winning efforts at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, not to forget her world championship success. In fact, India, when these two women were in full flight, had gained attention as a world force in the sport. Not far behind were Satwik and Chirag in the men’s doubles. They were a pair who attained fame and a status of being the best twosome from the country before long.  World No. 1 once, Asian gold-medal winners, apart from a series of top titles later, it seemed an Olympic medal would be theirs in Paris but that dream did not fructify. 

The experts believed that too much need not be read into the showing in Paris as it was a case of so near and yet so far. But following that, the leading lights have not done anything to inspire confidence. Since the beginning of the year they have taken part in various tournaments around the circuit but have made early exits. Badminton made rapid strides over a decade and made the Indian sporting fan proud. The gains over the period should not be allowed to be squandered.

Here it is pertinent to note Padukone’s words soon after Lakshya’s exit in Paris. He said that players need to handle high-stress situations effectively, adding that they had support from all quarters and they have to make the best use of the facilities and the opportunities that come their way. According to the legend, there is nothing wrong with the system and India is not short of talent. There is only the need for a concerted effort to build a strong foundation. Hopefully, Indian badminton will see better times again ere long.

(The writer is a veteran sports writer who spent his career working for The Indian Express and The Telegraph and Sportsworld. He lives in Chennai.)