India's U19 men's singles contender Rounak Chouhan's cheat meal is Katsu curry, something the Chhattisgarh shuttler discovered through his many travels for junior badminton tournaments through the far east, from a very young age. Women's singles' shuttler Tanvi Sharma and doubles' player Reshika Uthayasooriyan are inspired by Virat Kohli. Doubles player Taarini Suri met up with her sporting idol Hardik Pandya at the Cricket Club of India (CCI), and Vennala Kalagotla learnt to keep calm by speaking to MS Dhoni posters. Doubles players Dianka Waldia and Gayatri Rawat swear by Rafa Nadal and will battle Mangalorean doubles shuttler Sumith AR for a Rafa vs Roger showdown of fan loyalties. Sumith could have been fighting for chess's GM norms had he not been smitten by badminton. The likes of doubles player Vishakha Toppo, Chouhan, and Mizo smash-machine Hmar Laltha'zuala dig the aggression of Cristiano Ronaldo. India’s gen next in badminton on show These shuttlers have been raised to be confident, trained at the best of facilities, though they are yet to prove their mettle. The Gen Z self-assurance, though, seeps through when they speak of their influences and when they stride onto courts. Indian badminton is taking its own generation-leap this fortnight, starting at Guwahati, as a dedicatedly-trained junior cohort attempts the unprecedented - a team medal at the World Junior Championships that India has never won before. India blanked Nepal 45-18, 45-17 in the team relay format, expectedly on Monday, and will play Sri Lanka on Tuesday and UAE on Wednesday, hoping to line up against possibly South Korea in the quarters, to nail down that medal. The highly rated Unnati Hooda, who beat PV Sindhu at China on the Tour to signal a proper but slow transition, kickstarted India's charge at that medal against Nepal, learning a quick lesson though. The format, where each mini-set goes to 9 points, before a teammate takes over, means players are expected to hit the court running. "I tend to take my time with the warm-up in a 21 21-point game. But here we have to be at our best from the first point," Hooda noted. It meant her pre-game warmup had a longer court time. The Indian squad boasts of former World No. 1s in men's doubles, Bhargav Ram Arigela and Viswa Teja Gobburu, who took the 9-3 lead. Bhargav from Guntur is known for his drive game and has a Leander Paes-like appetite for mind games on the front court. Backing off from net confrontations ain't his style. Viswa is the smash-a-minute machine known for his pointed smashes, and the duo were quite the storm raisers at Pune senior tournaments. This is a generation that compares REM sleep recovery times, attached to wearable tech, just as much as they get competitive about jump lengths for smashes and gym lift scores. Mixed doubles, Keerthy Manchala is known for her wicked backhand attacks at the net. Their pop culture immersion ranges from Gnana Dattu's NTR Jr and RRR fandom to Chouhan's inspired by the superhero Flash. They dabble at fashion unapologetically, with Taarini Suri stating she feels lucky when she gets into a tournament with a blow dry, while Reshika Uthayasooriyan indulges her superstition of six specific hair clips. The likes of Uttarakhand pair Aamya Bisht and Angel Punera stormed into the spotlight when playing the pair Aaoi-Yuzu at a Junior Grand Prix in Pune. They prevailed in a 70-minute clash, matching the tireless Japanese. Former champions now training future champs Nothing portends a generational shift than the presence of former medallists Sai Praneeth (USA), Chen Long (China) and Sayaka Takahashi (Japan), who were around when India last hosted, now turning up as coaches for the respective squads. India last hosted the Junior World's in 2008 when Saina Nehwal won India's only individual title. Other medallists include Aparna Popat, Gurusaidutt, Sai Praneeth, HS Prannoy, Sameer Verma, Sankar Muthusamy, Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty. But a team medal is considerably tougher, needing consistency over singles and doubles in all five categories. Indonesia won the Asian mixed team earlier this year, and China and Japan are always strong. Korea tends to be absolute beasts in team events, and the world juniors in the most prestigious in that age group. India's doubles specialist coach Russian Ivan Sozonov has stated, "I am aware that India has never won a medal in the paired events before this, but this time we have a formidable lineup. These players have been regularly playing on the circuit, and their experience of training at this venue should help." Cheat meals og mutton biryani ('Zuala) and gulabjam (Tanvi Sharma), however, have been on a firm hold, as India's juniors realize badminton has gotten serious for them, and their time is now.
