No backup, no glory: India’s lack of depth writ large at Asia Mixed Team C’ship

Whenever the Indian badminton players travel in a contingent, expectations tend to go up – the high of the Thomas Cup of 2022 and the Badminton Asia Team Championships of 2024 are the protagonists behind such thoughts.

But success in team events for the country in the sport nowadays is easier said than done.

While the two defining moments of Indian badminton tend to evoke emotions and raise hope, they cannot take the spotlight off the country’s declining depth in talent pool.

India’s campaign at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship (February 11-16) in Qingdao, China, ended in the quarter-finals with two notable losses to South Korea and Japan.

Their 5-0 win over a fragile Macau in the opening tie held little significance.

Youngsters stepping up for Asian countries

With the Sudirman Cup, the mixed team world championship scheduled for April 27-May 3 in Xiamen, China, being the biggest attraction of the year in team events, and most teams worldwide remaining focused on that, the Asia Mixed Team Championship served as a testing ground for the countries from the continent to give their second line of players a requisite warm-up.

Japan, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and China fared better despite fielding relatively younger sides. But the Badminton Association of India (BAI) perhaps did not possess such luxury.

India fielded a full-fledged team featuring seniors like PV Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty. In contrast, Thailand reached the semi-finals without its top men’s singles player, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the reigning world champion and Olympic silver medallist.

Indonesia clinched the Championship despite leaving All England Open winner Jonatan Christie and Olympic bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung at home. Instead, they promoted Putri Kusuma Wardani and 19-year-old Alwi Farhan, who rode on the faith shown in him by the PBSI by registering a crucial win in the final.

China, the runners-up, also rested its top players to give a chance to youngster Hu Zhe'an, the world junior champion, enabling him to graduate to the senior level.

India's vulnerability in team events was exposed when Sindhu withdrew due to a hamstring injury sustained during the training camp in Guwahati, while Satwik and Chirag opted not to play together.

In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod failed to pull off the results India needed, losing to Korea's Sim Yu Jin in the group stage and to 18-year-old Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan in the quarter-finals.

Miyazaki stepped up after Japan's top player, World No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi, withdrew from the event. Despite missing their star players, Japan reached the semi-finals before falling to China, who advanced to the final with a relatively young squad.

India’s prospects in men’s singles, mixed doubles, and men’s doubles were equally bleak. In the tie against Japan, HS Prannoy fought hard but lost to Kenta Nishimoto.

Meanwhile, the experiment of pairing Satwik with MR Arjun against Korea backfired, as they succumbed to a straight-game defeat to Jin Yong and Na Sung Seung.

In the quarter-finals, the mixed doubles duo of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto struggled against Natsu Saito and Hiroki Midorikawa.

Not so surprisingly, the lack of a quality mixed doubles pair, along with no reliable second option in men’s doubles and women’s singles, hurt India’s chances.

Multifaceted problem

While India had benefited immensely from Anmol Kharb’s heroics and the women’s doubles pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand’s spirited fights during the Badminton Asia Team Championships in 2024, there were no such inspiring performances to be seen in China this year.

With Kharb missing the mixed team championship this time as she had to prioritise academics over badminton due to her 12th board exams, India must accept that Treesa-Gayatri, the country’s top women’s doubles duo, and Satwik-Chirag, the former World No. 1 men’s doubles pair, cannot always be expected to rescue the team in difficult situations - nor should it be their responsibility.

In the past, they stepped up whenever India needed them, whether at the Thomas Cup, Asia Team Championships, or the Mixed Team Championships in 2023 when India secured a bronze medal.

While other Asian powerhouses continue to nurture young talent across all disciplines, India continues to lag behind.

The only positive was Sathish Kumar Karunakaran, the National Games gold medallist in men’s singles and mixed doubles. Demonstrating his versatility, he stepped up to play the men’s singles match against Korea and won.

For India to excel in team events, it is prudent to add depth to the talent pool across all five disciplines in any possible way.

The problem is multifaceted. A major concern is the inability of young players to sustain the success they enjoyed in their junior days. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian, the World Junior Championships silver medallist, is one such example, as he struggles to transition to the senior level.

Injuries and burnout are common challenges in badminton. While it is unrealistic to expect players to win every tournament they enter, a respectable finish and consistent performances are crucial for any country.

To achieve this consistency and perform well regularly, India needs greater depth in its talent pool - a resource it currently lacks.