Badminton News: Indian women badminton players now join their male counterparts as champions of the Asian region.
They were the surprise winners of this year's Asian Team Championships in Shah Alam, following the men's team's breakthroughs at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou and the 2022 Thomas Cup Championships in Bangkok.
This feat is enough to show its rivals and Malaysia that India is now officially a world-class badminton country.
And one of the Indian coaches, Mohd Hafiz Hashim, believes that their revival is the right time to liven up the global badminton competition.
“How did all this happen? Is it the quality of their training? Politics in sports? Or is the player's attitude correct,” Hafiz asked.
For Hafiz, their progress is not at all a surprise. He believes that India's large talent base has grown because of their hunger and determination to succeed at the global level.
In fact, he believes that India's faith in the club system is also the reason for its dynamic progress.
“At the Asian Championships, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and China fielded higher ranked players. “They were favorites but the Indian team comprising seniors and juniors really showed their commitment on the field to win every match,” he said.
“They are now, without a doubt, one of the powers of badminton. I am sure they will be able to dominate the men's and women's sectors in the future.”
On Sunday, led by senior PV Sindhu, the team beat Thailand 3-2 in the final. Besides Olympian Sindhu, their top doubles pair Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand and singles youngster Anmol Kharb provided points.
They beat Japan in the semi-finals, Hong Kong in the quarter-finals and China in the group stage.
“Anmol is ranked 450th in the world but has won all his matches… he has shown that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it,” added Hafiz, coach of Suchitra Badminton Academy in Hyderabad.
In fact, the confidence of the national team in providing club players with the opportunity to play on the international stage must also be appreciated.
In the final, Priya Konjengbam-Shruti Mishara lost 11-21, 9-21 to Benyapa Aimsaard-Nuntakarn Aimsaard but the experience was very valuable for the players of the Suchitra Badminton Academy club.
“This pair won selection for the Asian meet because they won the national title. “Anmol even managed to pass the selection after winning the national singles title,” Hafiz said.
“It really encourages clubs to produce good players because they have the same opportunity to play for the nation.”
Article Tag: India, Anmol Kharb, Hafiz Hashim
