Badminton was the game that India regarded with most promise. Over the previous decade and half, it quietly managed to make its personal nook in a sporting panorama dominated by cricket and its varied variations. The explanations have been straight and easy. The ladies and boys of Indian badminton delivered typically – and normally with minimal fuss and fanfare. Immediately, nonetheless, the shuttle sport is experiencing diminishing returns. Poor leads to the final two years are a trigger for concern, however what’s extra alarming is that removed from being a blip within the bigger scheme, the long run seems bleak. There are not any names to succeed or construct on the exploits of the once-fabled Saina and Sindhu, the previous, a pioneering star now 35, and the 29-year-old double Olympic medallist struggling to clear the preliminary hurdles. From as soon as clinching three ladies’s singles medals in successive Olympics, scaling the height of males’s badminton by successful the Thomas Cup in 2022 and successful the primary Asian Video games males’s doubles gold in 2023, giving the Chinese language an almighty scare with our rise and intent, to presently not having a single participant within the semifinals of the All England in 2025, the fortunes of Indian shuttlers have plummeted. Barring Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and to an extent Lakshya Sen, the remainder of the Indians are not pulling their weight. The times of Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, Sai Praneeth, HS Prannoy and Satwik-Chirag being the event favourites look a distant reminiscence now. But it surely had been coming for some time now. Ever since HS Prannoy’s Malaysia Open Tremendous-500 title in January 2023, a worrying development has emerged with the Indians not having the ability to win a singles title. Solely the doubles duo of Satwik-Chirag managed to win a few titles. In April this 12 months, India registered certainly one of its poorest performances on the Sudirman Cup. Having misplaced to Denmark and Indonesia with an similar margin of 1-4, India exited within the group stage. Singles, a fear Issues couldn’t have been extra promising than within the years of the final decade. A 12 months after Saina Nehwal gained the Olympic bronze on the London Video games, Sindhu arrived on the scene with a bronze on the World championships in 2013. Whereas Saina and Sindhu have been successful medals, Parupalli Kashyap, Kidambi Srikanth, Prannoy and B Sai Praneeth too began gaining consideration in males’s part. Srikanth would go on to grow to be the World No. 1 and in 2017, win 4 Tremendous Sequence titles. In 2019 Sindhu was topped world champion. The identical 12 months Sai Praneeth gained bronze on the World championships. This Might, Srikanth gave us glimpses of his former self when he made the ultimate of the Malaysia Masters. The outing fizzled out despite the fact that it could show an amazing private increase for the 32-year-old former Thomas Cup-winning captain (2022). Owing to his low rating (sixty fifth throughout the Malaysian occasion) Srikanth didn’t get entry within the subsequent few tournaments. On the time of writing, Srikanth had bowed out of the US Open (Tremendous 300) within the first spherical. The Satwik-Chirag pair arrived on the scene to say India’s dominance in males’s doubles, notably on the Commonwealth Video games. Of late, they too have been battling health points and are but to achieve a last regardless of competing in six tournaments this 12 months. The onus to steer the boys’s singles problem is on Lakshya Sen. Regardless of exhibiting a variety of promise, reaching the All England last and successful a bronze on the Worlds, the Almora shuttler has gained solely two Tremendous-500 titles. The watch for a Tremendous-750 or Tremendous-1000 title continues. Lakshya aside, there’s nobody on the degree of even a Srikanth or Prannoy. It’s the ladies’s scene, nonetheless, that’s extra worrisome. There’s no clear reply to who’ll lead the Indian problem. Understandably, Saina and Sindhu are massive sneakers to fill, however the youthful lot is nowhere close to the requirements the illustrious duo set as they took fast strides early on of their careers. Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, Unnati Hooda, Anmol Kharb, Tanvi Patri and others are attempting to fill within the hole, however to no avail. Dipping fortunes When Pullela Gopichand took over because the chief coach of the Indian staff in 2006, he promised to make it a formidable power. It was a time when no Indian was within the high 10 and solely a handful figured in high 100. Having set himself a lofty goal, Gopichand achieved his first success on the Commonwealth Video games in 2010. The main achievement by an Indian was when Saina bagged the first-ever badminton medal on the London Olympics in 2012. With Sindhu becoming a member of the bandwagon, Indian badminton was properly and actually on the upward path, until it hit a roadblock. One purpose contributing to the autumn may very well be that Indian badminton was flourishing below a golden era. And as occurs with most over-achieving generations, their replacements wrestle as soon as the originals wither away. Not like the Chinese language or Malaysian feeder programs, in India, there was no correct plan to place a system in place that might produce gamers commonly. A talent-search staff to determine potential gamers was by no means in place. Although Saina and Sindhu impressed lakhs of children to take up badminton, there are only a few educated coaches to nurture them. Crucially, because the numbers grew, even incumbent coaches current weren’t groomed to deal with the rising demand. Figuring out the core If a core group of rising gamers had been recognized, and groomed, dividing it into two teams, elite and growing, to facilitate competitors, issues would by no means have been this poor. Gamers like Malvika, Aakarshi, Tanvi and others may have been introduced below one roof and educated higher. However in typical Indian sporting quick sightedness, there was by no means any transfer on this route. This lacuna widened the hole between the elite and rising gamers. Whereas the internationals stored taking part in on the high degree, the second-string suffered for need of competitors. Even now, there’s little effort to bridge the hole. Promising gamers lack steering Whereas the nationwide affiliation would disagree, reality stays that there is no such thing as a one to handle promising junior and sub-junior gamers throughout the nation. Badminton Affiliation of India (BAI) secretary Sanjay Mishra acknowledged that progress has not been on anticipated traces. “Undoubtedly our performances suffered a setback as a consequence of accidents to key gamers. Nonetheless, transition of the following era additionally requires time to strengthen and maintain our aggressive edge,” Mishra informed TOI. “BAI is concentrated on enhancing teaching, harm administration and expertise improvement to make sure longterm excellence. Whereas we’re dedicated to constructing a robust ecosystem for international success, we should acknowledge that progress takes time,” he added, “On the Nationwide Centre of Excellence, below the steering of Olympic medallist coach Ivan Sozonov and coach Park, we’re centered on nurturing the following era of champions together with different academies in Hyderabad and Bengaluru.” The previous junior nationwide coach sounded optimistic concerning the future. “A notable variety of junior gamers are already ranked within the high 10, the depth of competitors at home occasions displays the rising calibre of rising abilities. Gamers are difficult and even surpassing established champions. With a rising expertise pool and give attention to structured teaching, we’re assured of a robust future in Indian badminton,” Mishra stated. Coaches ought to be educated and categorised At its latest annual common assembly (AGM), BAI unveiled a Rs 9.75-crore annual plan to drive the expansion of badminton. Whereas there are a number of attention-grabbing provisions, extra emphasis ought to have been given on grooming the coaches.
“There ought to be three classes of coaches. The primary class for figuring out nascent expertise and grooming them. The second ought to see them by means of their adolescence and ship them to nationwide camps after they attain 12-14 years. On the third stage, well-trained coaches ought to nurture them and switch them into worldwide abilities. Nothing of that is taking place,” a supply stated. BAI allotted Rs 73 lakh to supply month-to-month retainership to Olympians and former internationals now coaching gamers at nationwide camps. However will their expertise be sufficient to get the following Saina and Sindhu? Only a few champions transitioned into profitable coaches. There’s a long-term demand for educated coaches. Expertise identification and grooming deserve high precedence. Extra educated coaches ought to be picked and programmes charted. Overhaul is the necessity of the hour There may be nothing BAI can do with the outcomes, but when they need to enhance Indian badminton’s standing, a correct system is the necessity of the hour, with a transparent three to five-year plan up and prepared. The affiliation and coach ought to resolve the event schedule of high shuttlers, significantly throughout the Olympic and Asian Video games years. A number of veteran gamers and directors are of the opinion {that a} plan like one carried out by Pullela Gopichand ought to be utilized everywhere in the nation. If that’s the case many champions can come from one academy, why can’t just a few extra come from different elements of the nation? There is no such thing as a dearth of expertise, however a correct system ought to be put in place on the earliest, in any other case this shuttle service will chug alongside the highway to mediocrity.
