In her mind, Anmol Kharb, was merely happy to land an opportunity to play against quality international opposition after Badminton Association of India took the inspired call to pick senior national champions for the Asian Team Championships. But the 17-year-old has returned with a historic gold medal for India who won 3-2 pipping Thailand, and the start of an enduring love for chocolate bubble tea. Like a song of glee ending the despondent Indian women’s singles badminton scene, the miracle kid from Malaysia, speaks about her magical last five days.
Anmol Kharb: It’s a damn good feeling. For starters, I played the deciders for India. And helped make the entire medal journey easier for the team. I was happy winning the semifinals, and for the support I got from everyone.
With what mindset did you approach the fifth decisive matches against China, Japan and Thailand in the final?
Anmol Kharb: It was only about giving my best and there was no pressure on me. I was playing an international level tournament abroad for the first time, but everyone told me a Win or Loss doesn’t matter.
What advice did you get from PV Sindhu and coach P Gopichand?
Anmol Kharb: Sindhu di kept telling me ‘if one point goes, stop thinking about it, and just focus on the next one. Never mind bolke, aage badho’. Gopichand sir also said if point goes, no problem. I was a little worried when rallies started getting longer. I got tired, I’m also a human being only. All he said was, don’t show the opponent you are tired. Stand straight and face the next point, looking strong. And the next point will be yours. That’s exactly what happened.
Why did you ditch speed skating in favour of badminton?
Anmol Kharb: In skating, I would often get pushed from behind by other competitors. My feet were always grazed and bruised, so I got fed up. Badminton was indoors and safe.
What do you like best about badminton? Do you have any role models?
Anmol Kharb: I like aggressive badminton. Mostly I like my own game. I get compared to Saina di often and people say our game styles are similar. Outside of India, I like Tai Tzu Ying’s game. Because it’s so deceptive. But I don’t get enough time to watch and practice her shots to include in my game.
What do you remember from the Japan semis match where the tie was 2-2?
Anmol Kharb: My opponent (Natsuki Nidaira) was very senior and experienced and a World No 29. There was no pressure on me as such, but as I kept getting better, I was excited about the possibility of beating her. Slowly, slowly, I started compiling points and my confidence grew as she started to make mistakes. It was great fun.
Actually, after I made a few errors, Gopichand Sir told me koi dikkat nahi (no worries), she will tire more, so just play safe-safe. In a mad rush to get points, she started making mistakes. I realized she’s in a hurry, and she’ll get frustrated and make mistakes on her own. So ‘never mind’ kehke, I continued playing. I was in no hurry and had nowhere else to be.
In the final at match point you smiled. What was going on in your mind?
Anmol Kharb: At 20-9 match point, all the girls from the team cheering for me while sitting had jumped up and they just wanted me to get that last point and were ready to rush and start celebrating on the court. Seeing them so happy, I couldn’t focus on my serving. I was happy for them, they had supported me so much. So I smiled. I knew I won’t lose from that point.
How does it feel to be part of a gold-winning team?
Anmol Kharb: It’s a great feeling, and everyone contributed to the gold. I’m happy because I also played an important role. I played all the decider 5th matches. Everyone scripted history, including me.
How’s there such consistency and accuracy in your game playing under pressure? Your smashes don’t sail out.
Anmol Kharb: I didn’t use too many smashes here. At this level, all girls have great defence. I knew if they sent my smashes back I would struggle to react and counter. So plan was to stick to drops, tosses, and rush the net to the frontcourt whenever possible. The blow dryer was on (A/C that causes drift), so the aim was to play to the centre line.
You work on physical fitness at a boxing center in Faridabad. How does it help?
Anmol Kharb: Physicality matters the most in my sport. Like against China, the match went on for 1 hour 18 minutes. So even if I might train less on the court one day, I never skip my physical. Boxing is much harder than badminton, so I train with them to become stronger. Some of their speed work and strength sessions are tough. We do short sprints, long sprints, gym and agility. On hard days, the pain gets unbearable. But I like getting stronger.
What do you like besides badminton?
Anmol Kharb: I love food and trying out cuisines from different countries. I like roaming around and travelling with friends and family and exploring places around. But this time in Malaysia, I couldn’t try anything. The match draws were tough, China, Japan, and Thailand. Every day I decided if we won, the next day I would try out everything at the breakfast buffet. But I ended up eating very little because I was excited to play matches. So it was the staple – yogurt, eggs for protein and fruits. But what I loved about Malaysia is the bubble tea. It was mostly just milk tea with brown pearls. But then one day suddenly there was chocolate-flavoured bubble tea! That was amazing. I eat everything in Indian food. That’s for strength.
Do you think it will get challenging from here on?
Anmol Kharb: I have to play more international tournaments, against more experienced players. So I need to start my hard training again. And be prepared.
17-year-old Anmol Kharb played a stellar role in India winning the Badminton Asia Team Championships gold. (PHOTO: @Badminton_Asia via X) 
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