{
  "id": 17525540,
  "title": "Why India’s best junior shuttlers learned to retrieve before they learned to smash",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/why-indias-best-junior-shuttlers-learned-to-retrieve-before-they",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-01T03:09:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/badminton/india-junior-badminton-players-shuttlers-retrieve-smash-jagsher-singh-khangurra-dev-ruparelia-10945490/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "India’s junior shuttlers focus on retrieving before smashing.",
    "Kento Momota’s defense-based style influences Indian players.",
    "Jagsher Singh Khangurra and Dev Ruparelia exemplify defensive play."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}