Seeking Old Touch, Hoping Net Gains

With Indian singles shuttlers struggling, badminton officials are looking inwards for local coaches to spark revival. Anmol Gurung tries to find out BAI's plan...

- Anmol Gurung

A decade ago, Kidambi Srikanth and Saina Nehwal had delighted the home fans with titles in their respective categories at the India Open. The times were different then. Indian shuttlers boasted a vibrant energy. There were several talents in singles capable of rubbing shoulders with the crème de la crème of badminton.

Fast-forward to 2025, the energy seems different. Singles results have not been envious at all.

PV Sindhu (in 2017) and Lakshya Sen (in 2022) did follow the duo's footsteps but with the gradual decline of Srikanth and Saina, and Sindhu growing older, India has been starving for potential talents capable of repeating that feat. Especially in the last two years or so. Given that the ongoing edition of the India Open is a BWF Super 750-level meet (it was Super 500 in 2015), it is much more challenging to get the wins. In the ongoing edition, Sindhu and surprise entrant Kiran George were the two shuttlers who went the furthest (quarterfinals). The results have been no different in other BWF World Tour events with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty being India's saving grace. Missing out on an Olympic medal in the 2024 Paris Games was the wake-up call.

The Badminton Association of India is cognizant of this recent slump and is looking to reboot. The 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles is 1273 days away. It might seem a long way away but every hour in the lead-up to the Games is critical for athletes with serious aspirations to challenge for medals. With the future in their mind, the BAI is looking to lay the groundwork so that shuttlers can return to the podium in LA and Games thereafter.