Badminton's profile has gone up ever since P V Sindhu made a run to the final of the Rio Olympics. There has been renewed interest in the sport and the Premier Badminton League (PBL) has only helped in that regard. Even as expectations are that the PBL matches will be held in Chennai this time, local lad Shankar Muthusamy is making heads turn with improved performances. The lad won his second straight national
ranking title in Under-13 boys singles at Kurnool on Sunday. He beat Akash Singh 19-21, 21-10, 21-11 in the final. He had won his maiden national ranking crown in Delhi three weeks back. The win at Delhi was the first-ever singles title by a Tamilnadu player in his age group. By virtue of his victory at Kurnool, he is set to become the first player from Tamilnadu to be ranked No. 1 in the Under-13 section.
It may be recalled that Shankar was among the shuttlers honoured by the Chennai District Badminton Association (CDBA) recently during which cash prizes worth Rs 4 lakh were presented to 16 players and a coach.
Shankar won the player of the year award for reaching the final of four all-India ranking tournaments this year and winning one in New Delhi and received Rs 1,62,500.
The Chennai youngster's performances in the recent past have given hope to badminton lovers in the city and the State. There haven't been players who have shone at the national level and gone on to do well at the international level.
According to S Prabhu, a player, there is renewed interest in the game now after the good performances of Kidambi Srikanth and Sindhu, in particular. There is talent but that needs to be nurtured and youngsters need exposure to improve and be able to take on and beat the best.
He said more tournaments need to be organised across the State so that the younger players are match-fit and able to play well in national-level events.
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