Silver Linings Playbook

With her consistent finishes in the top two, shuttler PV Sindhu is redefining Indias sporting glory.

- Kathakali Chanda

Could there be a better year than one where you win an Olympic silver medal? Yes, many times over, if you are PV Sindhu.

In 2017, the year after the 23-year old sent the nation in a frenzy by bringing home the silver from Rio, Sindhu made it to six finals, including the World Championships and the elite Dubai season finale, and won three. Remember her lung ripping, breath-sapping encounter in the finals of the World Championships with Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara that lasted a mammoth 110 minutes and included a 73-stroke rally that could outlive posterity? Sindhu finished second, if you must care for statistics, but when she was done, the World No 3 touched a chord even with India’s sporting psyche that rarely cares for gallant losers.