Badminton, in recent years has seen a mammoth rise in popularity in India.
In recent times, badminton has experienced an unprecedented surge in popularity in India, thanks to the emergence of global superstars like Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, and others.
However, India’s association with badminton has deep historical roots, dating back to ancient times. India played a pivotal role in propelling badminton into global prominence.
Let’s delve into the history of badminton in India and explore how the subcontinent has significantly influenced the evolution of the sport we recognise today.
History of badminton in India !
The exact origins of badminton remain unclear, but historic records from ancient India, China, and Greece mention games involving shuttlecocks and rackets dating back almost 2000 years. In medieval Europe, a children’s game called battledore and shuttlecock, along with Jeu de Volant played by European aristocrats in the 17th century, were popular predecessors. The evolution of this pastime racket sport into a globally recognized discipline began in India.
Around the 1860s, British army officers stationed in India encountered an indigenous game played for centuries. They made adaptations, adding a net, and named it Poona after the town (Pune) where the garrison was based. The first informal badminton rules were formulated by British colonists in 1867.
Interestingly, in southern India, a variation called ball badminton, using woolen balls instead of shuttlecocks, was popular. British soldiers, inspired by this, used balls in windy or wet conditions.
Returning to England, soldiers introduced the game, catching the attention of the Duke of Beaufort, who named it ‘the Badminton game’ after his estate. The name stuck, leading to the sport being called badminton.Badminton’s popularity grew, evolving from a garden activity to a club sport.
The Bath Badminton Club, established in 1877, rewrote the informal rules from India in 1887, laying the foundation for modern-day badminton.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) was founded in 1899, six years after the Badminton Association of England (BAE), making it one of the world’s oldest badminton governing bodies.
The International Badminton Federation (IBF), later renamed the Badminton World Federation (BWF), was established in 1934. India joined in 1936. Badminton became an Olympic sport in 1992, adding mixed doubles in 1996. Deepankar Bhattacharya and U Vimal Kumar were the first male Indian shuttlers at the Barcelona 1992 Games, with Madhumita Bisht as the sole female representative. India embraced franchise-based leagues with the Premier Badminton League (PBL) starting in 2016.
Some Famous Players over the years playing for the Indian Badge.
Badminton in India has seen its share of heroes who left a lasting impact on the global stage.
Prakash Padukone: A trailblazer, Padukone clinched the All England Open in 1980, becoming the first Indian to do so. He also secured India’s first Commonwealth Games gold in 1978, among other achievements.
Pullela Gopichand: Mentored by Padukone, Gopichand continued the legacy, winning the All England in 2001. He has since dedicated himself to shaping the next generation of Indian badminton stars.
Saina Nehwal: A pupil of Gopichand, Nehwal made history as India’s first Olympic badminton medallist, winning bronze in 2012. She reached world No. 1 in 2015.
PV Sindhu: Following Nehwal, Sindhu made waves by winning silver at the Rio 2016 Olympics and securing India’s first-ever gold at the BWF World Championships in 2019.
Kidambi Srikanth: The top men’s player post-Gopichand, Srikanth boasts six BWF Superseries titles and achieved the No. 1 world ranking in 2018. In 2021, he secured India’s first silver at the badminton world championships.
These stalwarts, including Syed Modi, Parupalli Kashyap, Aparna Popat, and Jwala Gutta, have predominantly emerged from the badminton hotbed of Andhra Pradesh, showcasing the region’s significant contribution to Indian badminton.
Indian shuttlers are making waves on the global badminton scene, with P. V. Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, H. S. Prannoy, and the doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty all securing spots in the Top-10 of the current BWF world rankings. The trailblazing Prakash Padukone was the first Indian to claim the world no. 1 spot, paving the way for Srikanth Kidambi, who became the second male player to achieve this milestone in April 2018. Saina Nehwal, a true trailblazer, not only became the first female player from India to reach the world no. 1 spot in April 2015 but also made history as the first Indian badminton player to clinch an Olympic medal.
