Why India’s best junior shuttlers learned to retrieve before they learned to smash
India’s junior shuttlers are learning to retrieve the shuttle before honing their smashing techniques. This approach, inspired by Japanese shuttler Kento Momota’s dominance in 2018 and 2019, favors a strong defense to frustrate opponents. Jagsher Singh Khangurra and Dev Ruparelia, both bronze medallists from the World Junior Championships, exemplify this defensive style.
Ruparelia, a top junior from Mumbai, plans to transition to an attacking game if needed, but his conversion takes several strokes. His coach emphasizes that defense isn’t aimless running but includes occasional attacks. Ruparelia’s journey began in local tournaments, transitioning to Europe where he secured titles and reached a quarter-final.
The focus now is on adding an attacking weapon to their defensive gameplay, as India has yet to win a gold medal in the World Juniors.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
