Aakarshi Kashyap had won the Under-17 girls singles title at the 2016 junior national championship and was leading 21-17 in the Under-19 final when she twisted her ankle. She went on to lose that match in three games to Ira Sharma, thereby dashing hopes of winning the double.
A distraught Kashyap had made a vow to herself in Udipi, Karnataka, last December, that she would win the double the following year. On Monday in Guwahati, the 16-year-old fulfilled that vow as she won both titles at the junior Nationals and staked her claim to being one of the rising stars to watch out for in Indian badminton.
Kashyap’s double in Guwahati caps what has been a memorable last two months for the young shuttler from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. In the senior Nationals last month, Kashyap was leading Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal by a score of 10-4 in the first game of their quarter-final match before going on to lose 17-21, 10-21.
Then, in the junior Nationals, the 16-year-old played and won 12 matches in just five days, dropping just two games along the way.
In the U-17 final, she was stretched to three games by fellow 16-year-old Malvika Bansod before coming through 21-23, 21-17, 21-12 in 68 minutes. Kashyap then got just over three hours of rest before the U-19 final against 18-year-old Vaidehi Choudhari but won in straight games 22-20, 21-11.
Looking to move up
“I’ve been working hard on my fitness this year. I lost four kilograms before the senior Nationals,” Kashyap said, adding this was possible thanks to the support of Olympic Gold Quest, who provided her a physiotherapist.
Kashyap’s achievements appear even more impressive considering she has managed to accomplish whatever she has, without joining any top badminton academy in the country. She has so far been training by herself at the badminton courts of a steel plant in Bhilai, without any full-time coach.
“I used to train with local players three-or four against one,” she said. “I did not enroll in any academies since I was performing well, training by myself,” she added.
However, that is all set to change, as Kashyap looks to take a step up in her career. She has been signed on by Tata Capital and will soon join the Prakash Padukone academy in Bengaluru, where she will get to train with other upcoming shuttlers including junior world No 3 Lakshya Sen.
“There is nobody at my level in Bhilai and neither are there very good courts,” she said. “I have gone as far as I could training by myself and I need to improve more.”
The move to the Padukone academy is bound to help Kashyap evolve as a player. “Whatever she has accomplished by training in Bhilai is a very big achievement, but at top academies you benefit by playing and training with equals or better players,” said Sanjay Mishra, India’s junior national coach.
“Aakarshi has always played with boys and that has helped her so far. But at top academies like Gopichand’s and Prakash Padukone’s, you play against the country’s top players and you get to match your speed with them,” he added.
Focus on international circuit
Mishra also said the Indian national setup is planning to gradually ease Kashyap into the senior circuit from next year by making her play more international tournaments. Along with that, she will continue playing Under-19 tournaments with the primary target of winning Asian and world junior championships medals.
Kashyap has so far not been able to replicate her national form at the international level. She lost in the quarter-finals of the Asian Junior Championship and could not go past the round of 32 at the BWF Junior World Championship this year.
“She needs to focus on her speed, power and finishing to do well in international tournaments,” said Mishra. “This will help her during long rallies when she needs to go for the winners.”
Sagar Chopda, one of the coaches at the Padukone academy, concurred. “Aakarshi is a defensive player and loves to play rallies but she needs to learn how to finish points as well,” he said.
For now, Kashyap will focus on the Nepal International Series starting on Wednesday, where she is looking to win a medal. “If I win Nepal, I hope to get an entry into the India Open Superseries,” said Kashyap, adding that she will also participate in junior Series-level tournaments in Poland and Sweden in January.
The eventual aim for Kashyap, like any other shuttler in the country, is to play at the Olympics and she has definitely made a start by winning the junior Nationals double in Guwahati.
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