Coming Into His Own

For H.S. Prannoy, 2022 was a standout year. Going ahead, the World No. 8 shuttler eyes more podium finishes

- Suhani Singh

Some may call H.S. Prannoy a 'late bloomer'. At 30, he had a standout 2022, as he played an instrumental role in India's maiden Thomas Cup title, a team event equivalent to the World Cup in men's badminton. It's one of the many feathers in Prannoy's cap last year, which also saw him make it to a final, two semifinals and seven quarterfinals and achieve a career-high world ranking of eight besides earning a nomination for the Most Improved Player by the Badminton World Federation. "For me, 2022 was definitely better than the last few years when there were no big results and I lacked consistency," says the shuttler. "Playing more matches and being on the court for a much longer time gave me a lot of confidence."