Seeking old touch, hoping net gains

Seeking old touch, hoping net gains

New Delhi: 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 creme de la creme 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.

For that the BAI is trying to look within rather than without. The focus would be more on Indian coaches. It’s still early days as necessary approvals from the sports ministry and the Sports Authority of India need to be sought. But BAI does have something concrete in mind. T

he federation is drifting away from the personal coaches system. Indonesia’s Irwansyah was recently roped in as coach and he will help India’s women’s singles players. Irwansyah was guiding Sindhu here but BAI is planning to form a group which will include five or six junior girls with Sindhu in the mix.


The system will be ditto in other categories. Tan Kim Her will be passing on lessons to all the doubles players including Satwik and Chirag. “We are in talks with the Sports Authority of India and the Sports Ministry at the moment. If we get their support, we want to create a group comprising Indian coaches, (players who retired recently or are planning to retire). We would like two Indian coaches to work alongside Irwansyah as assistant coaches to guide Sindhu and the rest of the juniors (women’s singles category),” Sanjay Mishra, BAI general secretary, told this newspaper.

The logic behind this proposed move is for the local coaches to learn on the trade and become certified professionals. “In that manner, the Indian coaches will get to learn the trade while working alongside Irwansyah. However, it is the need of the hour for the latter to focus on Sindhu for now. But the other junior girls shouldn’t feel neglected. That’s where the two Indian coaches will come into the picture.”

With that thought process, the BAI is pushing for attractive remuneration for the coaches. “We are still in talks. Our mentality is such that we are willing to pay a good salary to get the services of foreign coaches but we don’t give that same priority to our Indian counterparts.

They are not paid the same. My first request is to ensure that their salary is better so that we can lend them good financial support.

We want it to be attractive enough so that they are also interested. If that is the case, they can fully focus on their jobs. If we rope in a local coach, we should at least be able to meet their financial requirements and take care of their family without worries.”

Indian coaches have been overseeing some of the top players in the circuit in recent times. Former players B Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri have been guiding Satwik and Chirag. RMV Guru Sai Dutt has also been guiding HS Prannoy and several other players from the Gopichand Academy. 

Anup Sridhar has coached Lakshya. Even Sindhu had briefly worked with Anup. While things might not have clicked for Sindhu, Satwik and some of the other shuttlers have been reaping benefits working under local coaches. Satwik was effusive in his praise after his and Chirag’s quarterfinal success on Friday.

“It has been beneficial. Along with Sumeeth bhaiya (brother), Manu has been training us since the Olympics. Seniors like them know our game well and provide insights. They were telling us to play a no-lob game, nobody wants to lift against you.

They emphasised on focussing on the front court, as they were our opponents before. And it’s easier to communicate with someone local, especially in Hindi or another regional language. It feels good to have that connection,” Satwik said after his win on Friday.

It goes without saying preparing for an Olympics is an Herculean task and not for the faint hearted. There are numerous other aspects that should be aligned. Former national chief coach, U Vimal Kumar, stressed on the importance of concentrating on the fitness aspect of the game.

Badminton players are globetrotters and play almost every other week. They have a gruelling a schedule. “The strength and conditioning is a very important aspect. We need to take care. It’s not just about playing badminton, especially for Lakshya (Sen). When you’re really concentrating on these aspects, badminton is likely to go down a little bit,” Vimal assessed.

“Racquet sports are very complex. There are no ready-made solutions for anything. There are phases that you need to re-visit. It’s all about sincerity and not losing heart.”