Indian badminton has seen a mercurial rise in the recent few years that has seen the sport become one of the most popular in the nation. While high-profile successes in the sport were limited a decade or two ago, they have now become a regular feature, especially in 2017, which has seen the sport reach spectacular heights in India.
Olympic medalists Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu have been the two flag bearers for Indian badminton and have won various major tournaments across the globe. This year, the men shuttlers have seemingly picked up the baton and have won three of the six Super Series titles on offer so far.
Sai Praneeth won the first of them, defeating Srikanth Kidambi in the final of the Singapore Open Super Series, which was an all-Indian affair. He followed it up with another fine show at the Thailand Open GP Gold, defeating Jonatan Christie in an enthralling final.
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Another shuttler who stole the show was HS Prannoy with two memorable victories at the Indonesia Open SS. The first came against the legendary Lee Chong Wei, who was dispatched in straight sets, and the second against reigning Olympic champion, Chen Long.
However, the star has been Srikanth, reaching three back-to-back Super Series finals and winning two of them – in Indonesia and Australia. At both tournaments, he defeated the World No. 1 Son Wan Ho of Korea and in the final, he overcame Long, against whom he had never won before in five attempts.
The credit for the rise of Indian badminton goes to the players, coaches and administrators, especially the legendary Pullela Gopichand, who has transformed the sport in India and ensured that there is a regular flow of talent coming through the ranks as well.
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The results can be seen with the fact that there are a whopping 21 players in the top 100 of the singles rankings in both the men and women sections combined, which is more than any other country. They are:
Men’s: Kidambi Srikanth (8), Sai Praneeth (15), Ajay Jayaram (16), HS Prannoy (23), Sameer Verma (33), Sourabh Verma (35), Parupalli Kashyap (60), Pratul Joshi (66), Shubhankar Dey (73), Siril Verma (80), Anand Pawar (86), Abhishek Yelegar (89), Harsheel Dani (96), Aditya Joshi (98).
Women’s: PV Sindhu (5), Saina Nehwal (15), Rituparna Das (47), Tanvi Lad (63), Gadde Ruthvika Shivani (64), Sri Krishna Priya Kudaravalli (79), Saili Rane (100).
| Country | No. of players |
| India | 21 |
| Japan | 18 |
| Indonesia | 17 |
| Denmark | 16 |
| China | 14 |
