Domestic giant and India No. 1 Aakarshi Kashyap aiming to prove her mettle at the international level too

Aakarshi Kashyap is undoubtedly the queen of the domestic badminton circuit. Those who have been following domestic badminton for the last six years would certainly agree that Aakarshi is a cut above the rest. Aakarshi was No. 1 in the juniors for nearly three years and has now held the women’s singles top spot for more than a couple of years.

Aakarshi Kashyap is perhaps the only shuttler to have won three age group national championships in recent history. She was the Under-15 girls’ singles winner twice, and she became the Under-17 and Under-19 girls’ singles champion too.

Although she graduated to the seniors, her number one position in the Under-19 girls singles category did not change at all. It shows her total domination in All India Ranking tournaments for the last 4-5 years. A series of All India ranking titles is proof of that. At the tender age of 16, she won the bronze medal at the Senior National Championship in Patna.

Aakarshi does not get the media attention she deserves, but nevertheless, she is doing her job silently with clinical precision.

Most shuttlers in India struggle when they move into the seniors from the juniors. Aakarashi was an exception. It was a smooth transition for her because while in the juniors, she had already started performing at the senior level.

Nineteen-year-old Aakarashi now wants to extend her domination at the international level too. She doesn’t want to be labeled as the domestic giant. She wants to prove to the world that she is equally capable of churning out impressive performances on the world stage.

“I am the top domestic player for the last few years. I am No. 1 in the women’s singles too. My rankings suggest that I am the best in India. If people have expectations from anybody it should be me. There are a lot of expectations from me that I should perform well in the BWF tournaments also. I don’t want to remain as India's best in the domestic circuit. I want to shine at the top and I am confident that I will do it,” said Aakarshi Kashyap, a trainee at Suchitra Badminton Academy, Hyderabad.

After reaching a career-best world ranking of 104 early last year, Aakarshi has now slipped to 117. The fall in rankings was due to the lack of participation in international tournaments for more than a year.

I want to break into the world’s top 50 rankings soon, says Aakarshi

“I know my world ranking doesn’t look impressive. It was because I haven’t played many tournaments. Once I start playing regularly at the international level, it will automatically improve. I want to break into the world’s top 50 as soon as possible. I also want to become a Senior National champion. These are my short-term goals,” said Aakarashi, who has played under so many coaches until now.

Before the pandemic, she had a couple of excellent results and was poised for more glory, but circumstances halted her progress.

In February 2020, Aakarshi triumphed at the Kenya International Future Series in Thika. On her way to the title, Aakarashi had toppled top seed Thet Htar Thuzar 21-13, 14-21, 21-13 to avenge her defeat in the Uganda International.

Aakarshi Kashyap

A week earlier, the world No. 65 from Myanmar, Thet Htar Thuzar, had beaten Aakarshi 21-14, 16-21, 21-18 in the final in Kampala. Unseeded Akarshi upset second seed and world No. 69 Fabiana Silva of Brazil 21-15 21-17 in the second round.

In 2019, Aakarshi made it to the semi-finals of two international tournaments. She reached the last four stages of the Bahrain International Series with two memorable wins. Aakarshi stunned second seed Daniela Macias of Peru in straight games.

In the quarter-finals, she surprised seasoned campaigner and former national champion PC Thulasi 21-13, 21-19. But Sri Fatmawati of Indonesia stopped Aakarshi in the semis.

A month later at the Infosys Foundation India International Challenge in Mumbai, Aakarshi caused a couple of upsets before she ran into the top seed. Thailand’s world No. 45 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk defeated Aakarshi, but she won the hearts of everyone with her gutsy display.

Aakarshi’s first big success at the international level happened in 2018 when she was just 16. She finished as runner-up at the Bulgarian International after losing to Spain’s Sara Penalver Pereira.

That same year, Aakarshi was selected to the senior Indian team at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. She was also part of the national women’s team that won the gold medal in the 2019 South Asian Games in Kathmandu.

“I am preparing hard for the season ahead. I will start competing at the international tournaments in August. Even during the lockdown I am working hard and practicing for six hours. I want to prepare for the bigger challenges ahead. Even if I get seeded or higher ranked players in the first or second rounds, I should be able to beat them,” said Aakarshi, who is a contracted player of the Airport Authority of India.

It is clear that Aakarshi doesn’t like to be known as a player who only plays well in India. The teenager is gearing herself up in such a manner that demands that she be remembered as the best Indian player after Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu.