By Nabarun Goswami
SHILLONG: The first Indian shuttler to win a Super Series Premier Men’s title, Kidambi Srikanth, is a name synonymous to badminton in India. It is his desire to win consistently that keeps India’s top-ranked shuttler among the men calm and composed during the on-court encounters.
Talking to The Shillong Times on the sidelines of the 12th South Asian Games here on Tuesday, the former world No. 3, who is arguably the most well-known name in Indian badminton after Saina Nehwal, revealed that he did not take badminton seriously during his early days.
“I took to it as a fun game, a time pass of sorts; but things took a dramatic turn when I joined the Gopichand Academy,” a candid Srikanth said.
As is known by now, there was no looking back for the lad from Andhra Pradesh who has risen from one level of excellence to another since then.
Srikanth felt that the China Open Super Series Premier win was the turning point of his career. Srikanth had beaten Lin Dan, his idol during his growing up years, 21-19, 21-17 in the 2014 China Open Super Series to announce his advent in the world badminton scene.
Having achieved that fame and much more since then, the young shuttler has now his eyes set on an Olympic medal which he terms as the biggest honour for any player.
“There are two months to go for the cut off (for Olympics) and though I am almost in, my aim would be to perform consistently in the next 6-7 tournaments to secure myself a good draw,” said Srikanth.
After a flawless performance in the men’s team event, Srikanth made it to the semis of the men’s singles on Tuesday. For him, playing in Shillong was a completely different experience thanks to the high altitude of the city.
Moreover, while many see the South Asian Games as a lesser event for Indian shuttlers in terms of competition and quality of play, Srikanth feels that it’s an honour and a matter of pride to be a part of the event in which the medals won are added to the country’s tally.