Sindhu & Sen: Commonwealth Games showcase present & future of Indian badminton

The two athletes dekivered contrasting performances of similar excellence during the games.

Lakshya Sen’s ‘Lakshya’ of winning the gold at the Commonwealth Games was completed on Monday when the 20-year-old defeated Malaysia’s Tze Yong in a tight game, 19-21, 21-19, 21-16. PV Sindhu, on the other hand, won her first-ever singles gold at the Commonwealth Games after beating Canada’s Michelle Li in the final.

There was a time in India when badminton was once considered another sport. When Indian legend Saina Nehwal made her debut in 2006, the sport's fan base changed dramatically as she swept the badminton globe with her magnificent skills. And somehow, later, we witnessed other exceptional shuttlers take the lead in the form of Srikanth Kidambi and PV Sindhu.

Now, Lakshya Sen is another boy who has come into the limelight after some memorable performances, including the bronze in the World Championships last year and now the iconic gold at the CWG 2022. The youngster rose to prominence after shocking higher-ranked opponents and finishing second in the 2022 All England Open.

Indian Badminton at present

Without any doubt, the Indian badminton players are some of the best in the world. While there was a time when only 1-2 shuttlers used to be great, India now has around 15-20 remarkable badminton players who can compete at any level.

The current badminton squad of India is a top-notch side with a perfect mix of experience as well as young players. PV Sindhu is just 27 at the moment, and if everything goes well, then she has around 5-6 years of top-level badminton left in her. Lakshya, on the other hand, has records in front of him to break. The first name that comes to our mind when we talk about young players is Lakshya Sen. The past couple of years have been memorable for the ‘Sensational Sen’ as he has become everyone’s favourite.

Having won a number of titles so far, undoubtedly, Sen is going to be the next big thing in the world of badminton. Here is the list of all his titles:

The list doesn't stop there, as the new phenomenon was instrumental in India's Thomas Cup victory in Indonesia earlier this year. The way he turned the tables against Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Ginting that day was incredible. After losing the first set poorly, the 20-year-old youngster rallied back in style to win the match 8-21, 21-17, 21-16.

Going back to his early days, Lakshaya first tasted glory in 2014 when he won the Swiss Junior International. From that day only, the young shuttler has won a plethora of trophies. One of the most critical achievements in his career came in 2018 when he won the silver medal in the Youth Olympics 2018.

Indian Badminton in future

If Lakshya continues to play like this, he will undoubtedly propel Indian badminton forward. Not to mention, he is only 20 years old and will undoubtedly hit his peak in the future. These incredible smashes and drop shots will propel not only Indian badminton but also world badminton forward in the coming years.

Players like Gayatri Gopichand, Treesa Jolly, and Aakarshi Kashyap have everything to achieve in the future. They are young, passionate players who would like to fight for the nation in any competition. So far, we have witnessed a small glimpse of all of them at the CWG 2022 and the next ten years are going to be the dominating years for Indian badminton. Leaders like Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu are the best examples for this younger generation to excel in the world of badminton.

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