The quality at the BAI trials is very good, says former World No.11 Sameer Verma

The Indian badminton scene is fast changing and with the rise of upcoming young talents, India’s craze for racket sports is fast increasing. From the glitz and glamour of Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu to the exciting talent of Lakshya Sen, the Indian badminton scene is becoming more popular every day.

At the ongoing BAI trials for the upcoming Thomas and Uber Cup, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, the turnout of players is simply a sight to behold. The KD Jadhav Hall inside the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex in New Delhi saw plenty of new faces in the crowd wh are waiting to see their favourite shuttlers in action for the trials.

Among the players a 14-year-old Unnati Hooda is also keen to fight it out whereas a 32-year-old Ashwini Ponappa is also seen in action, making the entire players field very exciting.

The trials often bring out unpolished talents and a great mix of young and experienced players. “In India right now, just about anybody is playing well, you can’t even imagine!” former World No. 11 Sameer Verma told in a candid chat with The Bridge.

“You can’t take things lightly at all anymore, anybody can win now. Earlier you could only be 70-80% good and that would be enough to make you win the match, but now things are different,” Sameer shared. He basically tries to indicate the insane depth in Indian badminton right now.

“The trials have seen some really good matches, right from the first day, the quality is very surprising but a welcome sight,” Sameer reflected.

With the next generation stars gradually taking over the new Indian badminton scene is gradually changing. “Right now, Kiran George, Priyanshu Rajawat and another new guy, Ravi are doing very well and they will be ones to watch out for in the immediate future,” Sameer explained.

The trials are just a glimpse of what is to come for Indian badminton in the next few years. Sameer feels it will be very difficult for the inexperienced players to instantly play at this level. “Yes, it can be challenging for us but it’s also the same for them as they are upcoming players.”

“If they are on the same level after some time, you need to have a game idea, which only comes with experience. For now, we are ahead with experience and they are ahead with their quick movements and are fitter,” Sameer reasoned.

We have already seen Lakshya Sen develop into a top player as he has shown great character in fighting with top quality players. He is surely India’s new hope in the Men’s Singles category as he is making people hope that India can bag the Olympic gold medal. So just like him there are many talents in the county and gradually the shift will soon change.