By Sahil Kohli

Ningbo [China], April 14 (ANI): Indian rising shuttler Ayush Shetty, who secured the silver medal at the Badminton Asia Championships held in China recently with some excellent big match performances, reflected on the 'special feeling' to win the medal for his country, some high praise from senior, two-time Olympic medalist stalwart PV Sindhu and his upcoming Thomas Cup debut this year.

Shetty went down to world number two Shi Yu Qi in the final, but scripted history by becoming only the second Indian to reach the men's singles summit clash after Dinesh Khanna, who had achieved the feat in 1965.

During the course of the tournament, the 20-year-old shuttler had some big battles, and with each passing match, the Karnataka-born shuttler proved that he is destined for greatness.

His first big test was against the world number seven and Hong Kong Open 2025 champion Li Shi Feng of China, and he passed it in a matter of two straight games by 21-13, 21-16. Ayush booked his ticket to the semifinals, outclassing the Olympian, world number four and Thomas Cup winner Jonatan Christie of Indonesia 23-21, 21-17 in a remarkable display of calm under pressure, eking out a win in the first game after Christie had reached the match point with a two-point lead.

The semifinals witnessed the biggest upset of them all as the world number one Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist. The Indian shuttler showed tremendous resilience after losing the first game and did not bow down to the big-match pedigree standing on the other side of the court, securing a 21-19, 21-17 win that the rising star would cherish as much as his silver medal. While the law of averages caught up with the youngster in the final, the world has been served a glimpse of India's badminton talent factory, which has been on a remarkable trajectory over the years since PV Sindhu's World Championship triumph in 2019 and Team India's historic Thomas Cup win in 2022.

Speaking to ANI after the medal win, Ayush said about his win, 'I think it is always a special feeling, you know, winning a medal for your country. I think, yeah, I think I'm really happy with the way I played throughout the tournament. Definitely, I wanted to win the gold, but yeah, proud of the way I played throughout the tournament. I think it is a great run.'

Ayush felt that he could not be his usual dominant self during the title clash against Shi Yu, who he said, 'was playing really smart'.

'I think he completely did not let me dominate the net where I pulled through the other matches, you know, I used to try attacking, but he did not give me a chance. I think he also had his lengths perfect, not giving me a good angle for the smashes,' he added.

Be it win or loss, the 20-year-old is enjoying facing the badminton royalty at such a young age and wants to prove that he belongs right up there with them, even when he is in the starting phases of his career.

'I think I always enjoy myself whenever I'm playing the world's best. I think it is always a big challenge and a chance for me to prove that, you know, even I can beat them, and I am right there with the world's best players. So I think I see it as a challenge, and yeah, it is always fun playing them,' he said.

The youngster's love for badminton started at the age of eight, watching his father play the sport.

'I was really young, and as soon as I started playing, I decided to continue playing and represent my country at the highest level. It always been my dream to win the biggest medals for the country,' he said.

Ayush's stunning exploits on the badminton court left two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu stunned, who termed Ayush a 'generational talent' when he reached the final. She also pointed out the advantage Ayush's height and smash give to him. He is well aware of these compliments and has spoken to her as well.

'I was very happy when I heard that (Sindhu's post calling him a generational talent). It was really special. I have spoken to her, not much about matches or the game. But she is a very humble person, and talking to her has been a great learning experience for me,' he added.

The rising shuttler has had the opportunity to pick the brains of some of India's and the world's best, including India's Olympic semifinalist, Lakshya Sen, and two-time Olympic champion, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.

Speaking on Lakshya Sen, four years his senior in age, Ayush said that they both train alongside each other, and it is his mental game which stands out.

'He is a big match player. The way he performed in All England (reaching the final), it was inspiring. Also, Viktor, training with him in Dubai, I learnt a lot as to how he manages himself on and off-court, the intensity of his training sessions, and there is a lot to learn from them.'

He has been named in India's squad for the Thomas and Uber Cup this year, where he would be aiming to help India win their second Thomas Cup triumph (the men's title), four years after they had won it for the first time by blanking multi-time champions Indonesia back in 2022. He is looking forward to sharing the court with players like Lakshya, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, Kidambi Srikanth and other Indian men's team players who made history four years back.

'I am really happy playing alongside, you know, the players who won the trophy. So I think the team is really looking strong and we are confident, and we will try our best to get the trophy back home,' he signed off. (ANI)