Five EMERGING players that Indian Badminton will pin its hopes on in the future

(3) Ruthvika Shivani

Last year on the 19th of May, India was struggling against Thailand in the Uber cup quarter final in front of Chinese audience at Kunshan sports complex in China

The day started off on a disappointing note for us as Saina Nehwal could not give the ideal start everyone had hoped for. Ratchanok Intanon quite convincingly beat Saina 21-12, 21-19 and gave Thailand a 1-0 lead.

It was the turn of PV Sindhu to bring India back into the game and she didn’t disappoint as the Hyderabadi scalped Busnan Ongbumrungphan 21-18, 21-7 to make it 1-1 in the five-match encounter.(Which is also very common now)

After India’s most experienced doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta made it 2-1 for India, it was time for the 19-year-old Ruthvika Shivani to take the centre stage.

What happened next was unimaginable. In a high-octane match played at the Kunshan Sports Complex, Ruthvika played some punishing rallies and eventually closed out the game in two sets to register a 21-18, 21-16 victory !!

Shivani joined Gopichand academy in 2012 and she used to train at Khammam in Telengana before. She is the next big thing for Indian badminton, and has been making rapid strides in the circuit.

In an interview with TOI, she said, “My father was fond of badminton and would often go playing with his friends. I started to tag along with him and he noticed that I took to the sport with keen interest”

With more opportunities coming her way, Ruthvika Shiva Gadde has the potential to emerge as the next superstar.