Fast and slow challenges of Indian badminton

The last BWF World Tour title for Indian shuttlers came in May at the Thailand Open when Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, India's highest-ranked men's doubles duo, prevailed over China's Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi in straight games.

The last time an Indian shuttler won a men’s singles title was in 2023 when Lakshya Sen got the better of Li Shifeng in the final of the Canada Open.

Two other titles came in 2023 were HS Prannoy winning the Malaysia Masters, ending his six-year wait for an international title, and Priyanshu Rajawat triumphing at the Orleans Masters.

Prannoy, in the best form of his career, also bagged a bronze medal at the World Championships. However, the last Indian woman to win a singles title was PV Sindhu back in 2022.

When success in singles became scarce, Indian shuttlers achieved remarkable success in team events in the intervening period, winning the prestigious Thomas Cup in 2022 and the Badminton Asia Team Championships in 2024.

Further success came at the Asian Games in China, where the Indian men's team won a historic silver. Satwik-Chirag also made history by claiming India’s first-ever gold medal in men's doubles. The common thread? All of India's achievements came on the bustling Asian circuit.

No individual titles were won by Indian shuttlers in between.

Indian badminton, once one of the country's most celebrated sports on the international stage, has recently seen a notable decline.

This downturn became particularly evident at the Paris Olympics. For the first time since the 2012 London Olympics, Indian shuttlers returned home without a medal. Lakshya, who had raised hopes for a podium finish, lost to a dominant Lee Zii Jia in the bronze-medal match.

Satwik and Chirag, the third-seeded pair, failed to live up to their billing, with their arch-rivals Aaron Chia and Soh Wooyik catching them off guard tactically. Once challenged, Chirag's game fell flat and Satwik looked clueless during their 21-13, 14-21, 16-21 loss in the quarterfinals.

On the other hand, PV Sindhu, aiming for a historic hat-trick of Olympic medals, was eliminated in the Round of 16.

In recent events, Indian youngsters did not fare better either, except for a recent surge in form by Malvika Bansod and Anmol Kharb, who won two back-to-back BWF Continental Tour titles in Europe.

At the recently concluded World Junior Mixed Team Championships, India had a disappointing run, finishing sixth. They even struggled against a less formidable team like the USA, trailing 95-99 at one point in the tie before securing a 110-101 win. In the World Junior Championships, India's campaign ended in the quarterfinals, with Tanvi Sharma and Aalisha Naik suffering heavy defeats against their Chinese opponents.

It was another sobering reminder that the next generation of talent, expected to carry forward India's badminton legacy, has not reached its fullest potential. Prominent young players like Unnati Hooda, Anupama Upadhyaya, and Priyanshu Rajawat continue to struggle.

Even the highly promising women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who stunned top teams at the Asian Team Championships in February, have been hampered by inconsistency and injuries.

Though Indian shuttlers are known for their elegant stroke play, their main issues are inconsistency and the struggle to adapt to conditions that do not often suit their playing styles.

Despite India boasting robust infrastructure for badminton, excellent training facilities, and top-quality coaches, the struggles of Indian players on the international stage have remained unaddressed.

Badminton coach Anup Sridhar weighed in on this critical issue: "Considering our high standards - because we have everything now - our players are struggling."

Sridhar pointed to senior players’ impatience with sticking to one coach, calling such a tendency a "recipe for disaster."

Double-Olympic medallist Sindhu, India's most celebrated shuttler, recently selected Sridhar as her new coach. Sridhar was Sindhu's fourth coach in the past five years. Frequent changes in coaches did not help Sindhu; she lost in the pre-quarterfinals at the Olympics in straight games.

But the same is not the case for other Indian players - whether they are emerging youngsters or seasoned players - who often stick with the same facilities where they learned to play badminton.

So, where does the problem lie?

Asian Giants Plod in Europe

Indian shuttlers’ performances in recent events have shown that they struggle when placed in challenging conditions where they feel uncomfortable. It is worth noting that India’s most recent major successes - such as winning the Thomas Cup, Badminton Asia Team Championships, the silver medal in the men’s team event at the Asian Games, and the gold medal in men’s doubles - have all occurred in Asian venues.

By contrast, India’s most notable success outside Asia remains Prannoy’s bronze at the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. Asian arenas - with lively audiences and air-conditioning blowers - create an atmosphere that favours the fast-paced game of Indian shuttlers. Their familiarity with this environment has been one of the key factors in their success in Asia.

However, when they compete in Europe, where the cooler weather eliminates the need for air-conditioning, Indian shuttlers often struggle. They miss the supportive wind and the vibrant atmosphere typical of Asian venues. The slower pace - combined with longer, energy-draining rallies - demands more power and variation in play to win points. As a result, Indian players often find themselves fatigued and unable to maintain their usual intensity.

A prime example of this was India's early exit at the recent Arctic Open in Finland, where no Indian shuttler advanced beyond the pre-quarterfinals. Sindhu was knocked out in the first round by Michelle Li, while Lakshya fell to the crafty Chou Tien Chen in the second round.

At the Olympics, Lakshya, facing the nimble-footed Lee Zii Jia, could not counter Malaysia’s quick movement and excellent court coverage.

India Miss Prime-Era Saina, Sindhu

However, if we look back to the previous decade, India’s most decorated players excelled both in Asia and Europe, showcasing their uncanny versatility and consistency that define truly great players.

Former World No. 1 Saina Nehwal, the London Olympics bronze medallist, was the dominant force on both continents. She won one of her two World Championships medals in Scotland and claimed the Denmark Open title. She was also a runner-up at the All-England Open and the French Open.

Such was Saina's versatility that she won the prestigious Indonesia Open - held on one of Asia's notoriously slow courts at Jakarta's Istora Gelora Bung Karno - three times in her career. No other Indian singles player has come close to matching her feat. Only Kidambi Srikanth, a fast-court maverick, emerged triumphant at the venue in 2017 when he was at the peak of his form.

Similarly, Sindhu, in her prime, demonstrated all-court brilliance, winning three of her five World Championship medals, including gold, on the European circuit. Pre-injury Prannoy was equally adept on both fast Asian courts and the slower European ones, winning two of the greatest titles of his career on different circuits.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case for the current generation. Aside from Priyanshu Rajawat’s Orleans Masters title, Indian players have struggled on slower courts. Since his promising performance in France in April 2023, Priyanshu has yet to replicate his title-winning form on the World Tour.

While Lakshya performed admirably at the Olympics till the quarterfinals, especially after overcoming injuries and surgery, his well-documented struggles in closing out three-game matches remain. He often appears fragile against physically imposing opponents like Viktor Axelsen, Lee Zii Jia, and Chou Tien Chen.

Young talents such as World Junior Championships silver medallist Sankar Subramanian, Unnati Hooda, Aakarshi Kashyap, Tasnim Mir, Anupama Upadhyaya, Asian U15 champion Tanvi Patri, and Malvika Bansod have long been expected to fill the big shoes of their predecessors.

When players like Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki and Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung have already made giant strides, Indian youngsters remain caught in the fast-and slow-court conundrum.

Troubleshooting

This raises the question: are Indian players lacking in slow-court practice? Is India devoid of slow courts?

Indeed, India has a shortage of slow courts. To combat the heat, Indian players grow up playing in air-conditioned indoor arenas, which favour faster courts, faster shuttle movement, and faster play. While it may be impossible to replicate European conditions in Hyderabad or Bengaluru, Indian badminton's nerve centres, the country’s diverse geography offers opportunities to stakeholders to train players in adapting to slower courts.

Devising training in high-altitude regions, where the air is thin but cold and demands greater force to play the shuttle, could help Indian shuttlers adapt to both types of courts, sharpening their skills and stamina.

Indian badminton needs a shot in the arm to tackle the persisting slow-court problem, and the Badminton Association of India (BAI), which has already built the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati, may explore the option of setting up training facilities in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Such a move could give Indian players a strategic impetus, helping them adapt to diverse playing conditions.

Correction: When the article was first published, the article had stated that India suffered a loss to the USA, when in fact, India beat the USA. This error has since been rectified.