The decade was marked by some good news for India on the badminton court. While the men had middling and intermittent success, the women have been consistent in their excellence.
Saina Nehwal was India’s poster girl at the start of the decade and she won herself and the country a bronze at the 2012 London Olympics. She also became the first Indian female – and only the second after Prakash Padukone – to hold the world number one ranking, when she achieved the feat in 2015. Silver and bronze medals at the 2015 and 2017 World Championship have further swelled her reputation and she still remains a force to reckon.
PV Sindhu, however, has become the top female badminton player in the country by the end of the decade. Apart from her unforgettable silver from the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sindhu also became only the second woman to claim five or more World Championship medal. Following bronze medals in 2013 and 2014, silver medals in 2017 and 2018, she finally won gold at the 2019 event in Basel, becoming the first Indian World Championship winner.
Among the men, Kidambi Srikanth became only the fourth player to win four Super Series titles on a year in 2017. He also briefly held the world number one ranking in 2018.
B Sai Praneeth, meanwhile, did himself proud with a bronze at the 2019 World Championships.
Picture Credit : Google