Coming as it happened in the Olympic year after some normal performances, Of. Srikanth’s performanceLakshya Sen and HS Prannoy provided the ‘silver lining’ at the recent BWF World Badminton Championships. The trio, ranked between 14 and 19 in the world, advanced to the quarter-finals before young Lakshya won the bronze medal and Srikanth gave the country its first world silver in men’s singles. This touching performance eased the disappointment after defending women’s champion PV Sindhu’s quarter-final loss. In fact, the true magnitude and timing of these men’s performance may be better understood against the backdrop of a failed crop of Indian teen talent over the past decade. If no serious talent has emerged among women over the past decade, Lakshya’s recent rise in men’s singles is an exception to the gloomy landscape. A closer look reveals that India have only one serious pair in men’s doubles and women’s doubles but none in mixed doubles. For all the government funding in badminton since the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the current scenario fails to inspire confidence. Moreover, the fitness concerns of Saina Nehwal and B Sai Praneeth have left Indian badminton in a serious quality crisis.
In view of this background SrikantoThe goal, achieved in Huelva, Spain, was very important. With the training and competition schedules of players across the world wreaking havoc with COVID-related restrictions, it was great to see the Indians putting their performances together on the big stage and returning with two medals. The goal was actually a revelation on the way to the semi-finals before losing to Srikanth. In fact, he led his senior compatriot in the deciding game but Srikanth’s experience made the deciding difference. Personally, for Srikkanth, silver was worth its weight in gold. Without a significant international title since 2017, the former world No 1 has battled poor form and fitness for a long time. Srikanth’s career graph fell once Indonesian coach, Mulyo Handyoyo, coach of former Olympic champion, Taufik Hidayat, left India in December 2017 before completing his tenure as coach. Srikkanth should be rejuvenated by recent confidence-building performances and the prospects of Mulyo returning to India to take over the coaching assignment in the new year. Goal must be hungry after exceeding expectations and making his presence felt on one of the biggest stages of the game. He needs to pay more attention to his fitness. Prannoy and Praneeth, both 29 and semi-finalists of the 2010 World Junior Championships, are still eager to realize their potential. Overall, the quartet certainly holds hope in the upcoming season.
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