Coming as it did after some ordinary showings in the Olympic year, the performances of K. Srikanth , Lakshya Sen and H.S. Prannoy in the recent BWF World badminton championship provided the proverbial ‘silver lining’. The trio, ranked between 14 and 19 in the world, gate-crashed into the quarter-finals, before young Lakshya claimed the bronze and Srikanth gave the country its first world silver in men’s singles. This heart-warming display lessened the disappointment following defending women’s champion P.V. Sindhu’s quarter-final loss. In fact, the true magnitude and timing of the performance of these men could be understood better when seen against the backdrop of the failed crop of Indian teen talent in the past decade. If no serious talent has emerged in the last decade among the ladies, the recent rise of Lakshya is an exception in the dismal scenario in men’s singles. A closer look reveals that India has only one serious pair each in men’s doubles and women’s doubles but none in mixed doubles. For all the government funding in badminton from the days leading to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the present scenario fails to inspire confidence. In addition, the fitness concerns of Saina Nehwal and B. Sai Praneeth leave Indian badminton in a serious quality crunch.
Given this background, what Srikanth , 28, and Lakshya, 20, achieved in Huelva, Spain, was very significant. With COVID-related restrictions playing havoc with the training and competition schedules of the players worldwide, it was great to see the Indians getting their act together on the big stage and returning with two medals. Lakshya was indeed a revelation on his way to the semi-final before losing to Srikanth. In fact, he led his senior compatriot in the deciding game but Srikanth’s experience made the decisive difference. Personally, for Srikanth, the silver was worth its weight in gold. Without a significant international title since 2017, the former World No. 1 has fought poor form and fitness for a long time. Once the Indonesian coach, Mulyo Handoyo, the trainer of former Olympic champion, Taufik Hidayat, left India in December 2017 before completing his term as a coach, Srikanth’s career graph nosedived. The recent confidence-building performance and the prospects of Mulyo returning to India to take charge of coaching in the New Year should rejuvenate Srikanth. Lakshya should be hungry after exceeding expectations and making his presence felt on one of the sport’s biggest stages. He needs to pay more attention to his fitness. Prannoy and Praneeth, both 29 and semi-finalists at the 2010 World junior championship, are still keen to realise their potential. In all, the quartet sure holds hope in the upcoming season.
