The Next PV Sindhu? How Teen Prodigy Tanvi Sharma Is Shaping India’s Badminton Future News24 –

Badminton has been a part of the magnanimous hearts of Indians for ages. Once the British introduced the sport, believed to have originated in the barracks of Pune (erstwhile Poona), it found space in cramped gullies and verandahs. It even managed to find nooks in open fields of the ruling monarch, cricket, and its close ally, football.

As the sport pushed deeper into the arteries of India, it indubitably bred some of the best badminton players in the world. The nation’s youth discovered a newfound love, which wasn’t a romantic escapade but instead was a rendezvous with the beautiful sport. And it didn’t take long for them to be enchanted by its grace and fall into its wide arms.

India saw the rise of greats like Prakash Nath, who dominated the courts until partition. Once the inevitable (partition) came to fruition, he settled in India and decided to bury his love for badminton to let his dream of running a successful business take wing.

Nandu Natekar appeared on the scene as the wizard who could direct his wand and command subordination from the feathery bird, eventually stumping his foe. He had made it to the quarterfinals of the prestigious All England Badminton Championship.

Dinesh Khanna, popularly known as the ‘returning machine’ in the fraternity, became the first Indian to win an Asian title by defeating his opponent in the finals of men’s singles at the Asian Badminton Championship.

Soon, Ami Ghia led the women’s battalion by displaying a never-before-seen courtship and poise. Madhumita Bisht, who found a great mentor in Ami, gave a new perspective to women’s badminton by showing Indian women could also deal powerful smashes across the court with quick feet, even though Kanwal Thakar Singh had given a glimpse of its possibility a few years ago. India was about to accept badminton as a veritable successor to cricket, even though cricket kept coursing through the blood of most Indians.

Aparna Popat arrived on the scene with promise and talent that could put India high in world rankings. She dominated the nationals and was also prolific on the international stage. Unknowingly, she helped the birth of a star, Saina Nehwal. Saina consistently appeared as her opponent in the nationals, eventually claiming the crown for herself and securing the title of queen of badminton.

Saina gave a new meaning to Indian badminton as she proved that Indians, especially women, were capable of winning international titles. Something that had been missing for a long time, despite the country having previously seen immense talent.

Right from the get-go, she directed the fraternity’s eyes all at herself, having won the singles title at the Commonwealth Youth Games and the World Junior Championships, both in 2008. Her gold at Commonwealth Games, silver at World Championships and bronze at the London Olympics, ensured the name Saina Nehwal was etched with indelible ink in the records of badminton.

By the time Saina was fading, India managed to quickly find its next in line, P.V. Sindhu. Sindhu upped the ante by bringing more power with her blistering smashes and fearsome reach on the court. Her tall frame painted a fresh picture on the canvas of women’s badminton. She clinched an even higher number of international titles, adding to her successful repertoire. A silver at Asian Games, gold at Commonwealth Games and World Championships and another silver at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, all of which adorned the hall of fame of Indian badminton. Both Saina and Sindhu set the bar high, and expectations from the Indian contingent have since been flying high at every international meet.

Prannoy H. S., B. Sai Praneeth, and Srikanth Kidambi led the male contingent and tried to match the laurels that the women players were garnering, all the while providing equal support in the men’s team and mixed team events for several years. Prannoy was part of the squad that won the gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the mixed team event. Praneeth’s bronze medal in the men’s singles of the 2019 World Championships is a memorable one. Srikanth added several medals to India’s tally, the most esteemed being a gold in men’s team at the ’22 Asian Games, a gold and a silver at Commonwealth Games of ’18 and ’22 in the mixed team and a silver in singles at the same event in ’18. He went on to become the first Indian male badminton player to reach the final of singles at the World Championships in ’21, but faced stiff opposition in the form of Loh Kean Yew and thus secured a silver, a first for the men’s division. Then Prannoy and Srikanth marched the squad to a momentous victory at the ’22 Thomas Cup.

India saw the next generation of successors in Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who have shown Indian prowess in men’s doubles and brought back attention to the paired event. They both have a mix of medals in men’s doubles, men’s team, and mixed team events at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Thomas Cup, and World Championships.

They continued to deliver the promise up until 2022 when they took the silver in the men’s doubles at the ’18 Commonwealth Games. Lakshya Sen, another well-known name, has quite a few years ahead of him to showcase his talent on the international stage by working on his temperament. Among the women, N. Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa have won a few medals in doubles at some of the top events. However, their performance has been inconsistent lately, and medals have been scarce. Notably, Ashwini had bagged a gold in the women’s team event at the 2024 Asia Team Championships.

The Indian contingent, in a transition phase, showed a dismal performance at the ’24 Paris Olympics, and the undesirable question has been echoing in the hearts of fans: Who is the next Saina or Sindhu? Who will continue the legacy that they have built in these years? Will Sindhu show a comeback and quench our thirst, that we didn’t even know existed? We can find some respite in the 16-year-old sensation, Tanvi Sharma, and the gifted Anmol Kharb, who played a dominant role in India’s win at the Asia Team Championship.

Hailing from Hoshiarpur, Tanvi Sharma wrote history at the BWF Super 300 US Open ’25 by becoming the youngest Indian to play in the final of a BWF World Tour. She relentlessly fought against Beiwen Zhang, who is more than double her age. Losing the first game, Tanvi sent waves by making a comeback and thrashing her opponent 21-16, who represents the USA. But the more experienced Zhang halted Tanvi’s dream, for now. Tanvi has made her mark already in the cognizance of badminton experts and aficionados alike, showing immense potential to be the next Indian to climb the upper echelons of world badminton. Until then, we must wait and watch!