Parupalli Kashyap's resurgence is a boon for Indian badminton

Last week, Parupalli Kashyap won the Austrian Open -- his first badminton title after a gap of three years. The last time he finished on the top of the podium was at the Syed Modi India Grand Prix Gold event in 2015. What followed after that was a string of injuries, which kept him out of the reckoning for Rio Olympics as well and Indian badminton moved on in the meantime.

Srikanth Kidambi and HS Prannoy became household names. Even Sai Praneeth and Sameer Verma were performing consistently and regularly at the highest level and people were rooting for them. Kashyap was totally sidelined.

The 31-year-old is regarded very highly by the Indian badminton contingent and called fondly Kashyap 'Anna' by other shuttlers. He was getting the respect he deserved, was training properly with champion players like Saina Nehwal, but wasn't able to convert them into memorable triumphs.

Therefore, this win in Vienna will do him a world of good. Even he knows it as he says, "This outing was very important for my confidence after being in and out for long due to injuries. This is a stepping stone and I am very happy that I could do it. I don’t consider this victory to be easy, as it is really tough to win any tournament."

The last time Kashyap came close to winning a medal was in last year's US Open, where he was beaten by a high-flying HS Prannoy in the final. It's important to note that Kashyap was in ominous form in the Premier Badminton League Season 3 and won four matches for his team, Awadhe Warriors.

Currently, India has one of the strongest line-ups of men's shuttlers and Kashyap's return to form will only strengthen it further. He has tons of experience, having won two Commonwealth medals for the country. Even badminton queen Saina Nehwal doesn't shy away from taking his advice, which tells us how valuable it would be.

Sometimes, winning a tournament increases one's confidence and let's hope that is what happens to Kashyap as in 2018, India will be playing a lot of team events where his nuances and expertise can benefit the team splendidly.

He, however, won't be able to defend his Commonwealth Games title in April since he hasn't made the cut. Regardless, being the world class player that he is, India has high hopes from Kashyap 'Anna' and will be hoping that he makes his comeback count by winning greater laurels for the country.