KOCHI: "This country is a joke," reads a tweet from HS Prannoy's social media account in 2020. The shuttler from Thiruvananthapuram was venting his frustration at getting snubbed yet again by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) for the Arjuna Award recommendation.
Having won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a bronze at the Asian Championships the same year, the Thiruvananthapuram-native had all the reasons to feel hard done by. The association, needless to say, hit back saying the Kerala shuttler was overlooked on disciplinary grounds. Bridges were burned.
But it is the same Prannoy who is now the toast of the nation in India's historic Thomas Cup campaign. For two successive days, the 29-year-old turned to be India's saviour by winning decisive singles matches in both the quarterfinals and semifinals. He first defeated Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao in the last-eight clash before brushing aside Denmark's Rasmus Gemke and an injury on Friday to secure a first-ever medal for India in the tournament's 73-year history.
"In the last 5-10 years, we have had some individual results. But as a team, India has never performed that well. We have top players from all the top nations competing in the Thomas Cup. That is why the semifinal victory is a huge result for Indian sports," Prannoy told TOI from Bangkok ahead of Sunday's final against Indonesia.
These games are not for the faint-hearted feels Prannoy, dwelling on the two back-to-back victories. "There is no going back in these matches. It's do or die. You are also playing for the country. So all eyes are on you," said Prannoy.
But Prannoy was built for such high-pressure situations - having peaked on big occasions earning the reputation of a giant-killer by scalping greats like Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei and Viktor Axelsen during his career.
"The kid looks at the game very positively. He is sincere and hard working," said his father Sunil Kumar, who was an engine fitter at the Indian Air Force and coached his son till the age of 16. "Whatever he has achieved is due to those qualities and I have nothing to claim in that success," he said.
Born to Sunil and Haseena, Prannoy was introduced to badminton by his father at the age of eight. It was Sunil who did the bulk of Prannoy's early training, updating himself by reading, watching and playing the sport.
At 16, as a rising star, he left home to train at the Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad. Though he hasn't got the recognition his peers like Kidambi Srikanth and Parupalli Kashyap has achieved, Prannoy has earned the reputation of a dangerous opponent on the international circuit.
Injuries have nagged Prannoy's career, but the 29-year-old has been on a comeback trail in 2022 reaching the Swiss Open final in March and now helping India reach the Thomas Cup final, again battling an ankle injury. But Sunil believes his son will be ready if he is called up to make a difference against the mighty Indonesians in the final.
"Prannoy's attacking style means there is a risk for injuries at times. But when you are representing your country, you get the strength to play through slight knocks and I hope he will shrug off the pain to help India win again on Sunday," he said.
And if he does that, he won't be far away from realising his dream of winning an Arjuna award.
