Shivani Naik column

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SHIVANI NAIK COLUMN NEWS

India's crop of promising badminton juniors is a boon. (Reuters/Badminton Photo/File)

Why Indian badminton should refrain from anointing any youngster as the Saina-Sindhu successor - the heir isn't apparent

February 01, 2026 9:24 am

Marketeers and broadcasters need packaged personalities to sell; but a sport seldom bends to such tick-box scripts - so spare Tanvi, Unnati, Anmol, Rakshitha, Devika the premature trumpets and hype.

Saina wasn’t the quickest on her feet, nor was she exceptionally tall. But until her knees gave out, her work rate was ferocious. (Reuters Photo)

Saina Nehwal: The relentless force who redefined Indian badminton

January 25, 2026 9:15 am

Before PV Sindhu, before social media debates, before winning became rare—there was Saina. Relentless, fearless, and ferociously determined, she made victory look inevitable

Ayush Shetty (on left with Viktor Axelsen) and Sathish Karunakaran are among the names to look for next season in Indian badminton.

The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here

December 14, 2025 9:40 am

The names to look for next season are the men with power and physicality: Ayush Shetty, Sathish Karunakaran, Tharun Mannepalli, Sanskar Saraswat and Rounak Chouhan

Why China's National Games loom large always, on international badminton

November 09, 2025 8:59 am

For some like Chen Yufei who failed to qualify for the World Tour Finals, despite six Tour titles this season, these National Games are the week to 'peak' for, representing Zhejiang province alongside men's doubles star Wang Chang.

Koki Watanabe bounces around the court and has a whiplash kill. (Instagam/Japan Society)

Curious case of Koki Watanabe, the shortest badminton player in men's Top 100, a challenger with tall dreams

October 26, 2025 8:22 am

Like Akane Yamaguchi, Koki has stellar footwork and court coverage. His defense is Japanese - thorough, fuss-free, quick and worthy of reel extracts. He bounces around the court and has a whiplash kill.

Missing out on the gold at Rio might well have pushed PV Sindhu to become a stronger athlete in the following years. (Reuters)

Not winning early forces players to get better – just ask PV Sindhu

September 28, 2025 7:22 am

Missing out on the Rio gold may have made Sindhu more determined, and the result was her great consistency and one of the most dominant World Championship triumphs.

How PV Sindhu can break out her funk and sparkle again with tactical help from coach Irwansyah

August 24, 2025 8:59 am

If the coach can convince her to take bolder risks, get aggressive on her defensive patterns, think out of box, Sindhu can yet again strut around the badminton world

Shi Yuqi is not ideal to face in the first round, but when dreaming of a World Championship medal, isn't having to beat big names inevitable? (Badminton Photo)

Lakshya Sen needs to hit the right lengths against Shi Yuqi in blockbuster opener

August 25, 2025 4:40 pm

The Indians tend to start well these days, and should back themselves against the Chinese first up.

The last three months have witnessed a steep rise in prices of shuttlecocks, and academies all over India are having to factor in this escalation in their running costs. (Reuters)

It's time India scales up production to tide over shuttlecock scarcity arising from change in Chinese food preferences

August 10, 2025 5:34 pm

Kerala and Bengal have set-ups for shuttlecock production; they now need to improve quality and increase capacity as higher prices and uncertain supply is hitting players and academies hard.

Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, the Minions, ruled the ranking charts as World No 1s for a mighty 272 weeks. (Reuters)

The Mighty Minions who ruled badminton doubles

July 20, 2025 9:14 am

Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, popularly known as minions, ruled the ranking charts as world No. 1s for 272 weeks, winning close to 30 titles.