Ayush Shetty showed he belongs at this level: Vimal Kumar

Bengaluru: In recent years, the buzz mostly circulated around more well-known seniors such as Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy and others. Even then, Ayush Shetty’s name would always find a passing mention with the suffix ‘future potential’ among those in the badminton community. Fellow shuttlers kept a close eye, coaches observed and the rest eagerly waited for his burst onto the big scene. 

That moment arrived this past week when the 20-year-old Mangaluru lad repaid the faith of his close ones by defeating one big name after another to reach the final of the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China. 

Though Ayush went down 8-21, 10-21 to world No. 2 Shi Yu Qi in the summit clash, the world No. 25 defeating China’s Li Shi Feng (world No. 7), Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu Jen (WR 20), Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie (WR 4) and Kunlavut Vitidsarn (WR 1 & defending champ) from the opening round to the semifinal, respectively, earned him respect and put the youngster on par with the best. 

“Ayush has outdone himself in this entire tournament,” Sagar Chopda, Ayush’s coach at the Centre for Sports Excellence (CoSC) in Bengaluru, told DH after the title clash on Sunday. 

“He has nothing to feel bad about and he lost to a better player today. This is an absolute confidence booster for Ayush especially knowing it's a big result after a back injury. More than us technical coaches, huge credit goes to the trainers and physios who worked relentlessly to make him injury-free,” said Sagar. 

Among those who always believed in the towering right-hander was Vimal Kumar, head of Badminton Excellence at CoSE and former national coach. And the 63-year-old Olympian echoed that this was a significant week in Ayush’s budding career. 

“Matches like these (final) are invaluable. They expose exactly what is required to compete consistently with the very best in the world. The gaps are clear: better shot variation, improved rally construction, tighter control under pressure and smarter point building.

“Shi looked extremely well-prepared from the outset. He controlled the tempo brilliantly, denying Ayush the rhythm he usually thrives on. The encouraging part is that Ayush has already shown he belongs at this level. With the right adjustments and continued exposure to such matches, he will only grow stronger,” pointed Vimal. 

Ayush’s silver is the first in men’s singles at the event after Dinesh Khanna’s gold way back in 1965. The expectations of ending the golden drought were high given Ayush's dream run. But playing a Chinese badminton player in China is always an intimidating affair.

“China and Indonesia are two countries where the crowd is insane. And against a local player it is even more difficult. When I spoke to him in the morning he was fresh, eager and sounded very energetic. But playing a final in such a huge stadium with the crowd against you, of course, nerves played a part.

"Also, he was a bit impatient. Then again, Shi never gave him an opportunity to come under the shuttle. I’m sure there are big lessons Ayush has learnt. We are all definitely proud of his effort and the result is a big boost for us to prepare for the rest of the season,” signed off Sagar.