The Future of Indian Badminton: Saina Nehwal and Kashyap Parupalli

The fact that Saina Nehwal is a bright star in the future and the present of Indian badminton has never been doubted. Ever since she had beaten the veteran Aparna Popat unexpectedly, there has been no looking back for this girl from Haryana. Her determination and skill has won games and hearts alike and her recent stint in the London Olympics is just a proof of that fact.

Till now, no Indian has been as successful in carving her name in International Badminton as Saina Nehwal. That fact is quite proven after she bagged the Bronze Medal in the London Olympics, 2012. Even though Saina could not mange to fulfill her own dream of getting the gold in the Olympics this year, there is no doubt that this woman is one of the most important persons in the future of sports in India. She was one of the pillars of hope in the Olympics for India this very year and she has managed to live up to the Nation’s expectations.

The other person who deserves mention in this discussion is Kashyap Parupalli. Ranked 21 in the world, this young man too is a powerhouse of talent. In the Olympics this year, Parupalli has proved his talent by beating the much higher ranked Tien Minh Nguyen. On doing this, Parupalli became the first Indian man to enter the quarter finals of Olympics Badminton. Without a doubt, many hopes for a brighter future in Badminton, rests on the shoulders of this twenty five year old.

That he could not quite manage to beat the Malaysian Lee Chong Wei cannot be held against him. After all, the Malaysian is ranked number 1 in the world.  But even then, Parupalli had put up an impressive fight against him. It is thanks to these two (Nehwal and Parupalli) that that Badminton is once again rising in popularity in India. After all, it has been a long time since at least Men’s Badminton has had a hero to look up to, in India. Perhaps, Kashyap Parupalli can fill in that gap.

For a sport that has been born in the heart of the country, India has always deserved young players like Saina Nehwal and Kashyap Parupalli. This particular year has been remarkable for both these players as well as the future of the sport in this country and the year is far from being over. As India rises from the constraints of cricket the whole of the nation will wait to see what these two players can do in the coming days.