In the recent past, Indian badminton was at crossroads about the rising talent. Many said that when it came to the singles category, there was no successor to H.S. Prannoy or Srikanth Kidambi. But the opinion has now changed. The latest to capture the attention of the fans is a 20-year-old, Ayush Shetty from Karnataka.
Shetty made a roaring arrival to the Hong Kong Open Super 500 with a fighting performance against 2023 World Championships silver medallist, world number nine, Kodai Naraoka in a thrilling three-game contest. It took 72 minutes, but the youngster showcased his incredible agility, fitness and tactical acumen on the court. And his fearless attitude has become a serious hit among the fans.
Shetty won 21-19, 12-21, 21-14 against Naraoka, and the Japanese shuttler isn’t just another average badminton player. He is former world number two and earlier this season toppled Olympic gold medallist Viktor Axelsen. But Shetty did not back down, with aggressive rallies and agile court coverage, he took control of the game. For Indian fans who were hungry to see the next big thing in men’s singles, Shetty has been the centre of attention.
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BAI secretary general Sanjay Mishra spoke to RevSportz earlier this year, and in an exclusive conversation and had mentioned that if there was anyone who had the ability and talent to be the next best thing in the men’s singles category, it would be Shetty.
But this is not the first breakthrough for Shetty. In June, he clinched the US Open Super 300 title that launched him as a serious contender in the senior circuit. A quality about the 20-year-old that has stood out is his control and composure in tense situations. In a match against Chinese Taipei’s Su Li Yang in the opening round in Hong Kong, Shetty’s racquet strings had snapped mid-rally. Noticing the same, the young gun sprinted to the sidelines, picked up another racquet and also managed to return the shuttle, all in matter of seconds. His opponent was completely caught off guard and misfired, giving away the point to Shetty.
The next generation of Indian badminton has truly arrived. With the likes of Kidambi and Prannoy at the latter stages of their career, the men’s singles category long needed fresh talent. And Shetty has provided the Indian badminton fans something to rally behind. He has time on his side, and with steady steps he can climb up the BWF rankings.
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