3 moments that changed the face of Indian Badminton
Badminton, as a sport has always performed under the shadow of the likes of Cricket, well for that matter all the sports have had the same story in India. The popularity and the stardom that cricket and cricket players have is proof of why other sports have been underestimated. But we can't just overlook what cricket has given to the nation and its people, Cricket has put India on the world stage and we should all be proud of.
But we all hope India becomes a sporting nation rather than a cricketing nation, that would probably help millions of Indian youngsters think about considering their sport or craft seriously. We have seen so many breakthroughs in Indian sports with the likes of Indian Soccer league, Pro-Kabbadi and Pro-Badminton league and many leagues that have started to emerge.
Here are the moments that changed the face of Indian badminton:
#1 Saina Nehwal - The Badminton superstar
Saina Nehwal is the Icon of Indian Badminton. Indian fans never thought that India would be a dominant force in Badminton until they saw the emergence of a Superstar, Saina Nehwal.
Saina has won 23 International titles, she has 10 Superseries title to her name. It was April 2, 2015, when she achieved her number 1 position, becoming the only second Indian to reach that milestone after Prakash Padukone.
The big breakthrough came when Saina won the Bronze medal at the London Olympics, becoming the first Shuttler to ever win a medal in the Olympics. This paved a way for all the aspiring shuttlers to dream the possibilities about winning medals at the Olympics.
A lot of credit goes to Saina for the increasing popularity of Badminton in India. She has been awarded Padma Bhushan, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna award for her immense contribution to the game.