Tara looking to shine on Indonesia badminton courts

Pune shuttler Tara Shah. Pic/Badminton Association of India

Pune shuttler Tara Shah, 18, the only player from Maharashtra in India's team for the Badminton Junior Asia Championships at Yogyakarta, Indonesia (July 7-16), wants to make the most of her opportunity.

Having made it to the India team, the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) Class XII student said her next target is to make an impact on the international stage.

In the group stage, India are pitted in Group C along with Malaysia, Bangladesh and Hong Kong. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stage.

In earlier editions, India have won two gold medals (2012 and 2018), one silver (2011) and a bronze in 2016.

Also Read: Indian junior shuttlers set to participate in Badminton Junior Asia C'ships in Indonesia

On Tuesday, before boarding the flight to Indonesia, Tara underlined how making it to the India team was not easy. "I am glad that I kept my emotions in check during the selection trials [at Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi from June 4 to 7] and managed to get selected in the Indian team. Frankly, it is quite difficult to make it to the Top 4. In the selection trials, India's Top 10 players were pitted against each other.

"Even if you lose the first game, you are supposed to continue before you finish your quota of matches. The best four are chosen to represent the country from there.

"Luckily, I didn't lose any match till the last two games. This was because I was mentally strong. I was able to bring out my best game when it mattered," she told www.mid-day.com.

Talking about the expectations and preparations, Tara said training at two academies has helped her get the best of both worlds.

In Pune, she trains under Hemant Hardikar at Shivajinagar's Pune District Metropolitan Badminton Association (PDMBA) courts and at Danish great Peter Gade's academy in Denmark for two months every year since 2019. "The selection trials helped me know where I stand. I learnt different ways of training from both the academies. It was useful to pick up the best from both and emerge stronger physically and mentally. Since this is my last year at the U-19 level, I want to give my best and make an impact. In the first week of the championships, we have mixed team events [July 7-11] followed by individual events [July 12-16]. I hope we do what the India men's team did at the Thomas Cup [defeating 14-time champions Indonesia to win their maiden title in the 73-year-long history of the tournament] in the mixed team event. After that, I will get to compete against the best players from Asia [China, Japan and Korea]," explained Tara, whose favourite player from India is HS Prannoy, whom she admires for his consistency. Among women players, she idolises China's reigning Olympic champion Chen Yufei.