Near-quitter Rohan wins All India Senior Ranking badminton tournament

Maharashtra shuttler Rohan Gurbani with the All India Senior Ranking Badminton trophy he won in Hyderabad. Pic/Rohan Gurbani’s collection

NAGPUR-based shuttler Rohan Gurbani insists that winning the All India Senior Ranking Badminton tournament in Hyderabad recently has infused a much-needed confidence in him to get his sporting career back on track.

He beat Siddhanth Gupta 21-13, 23-21 in the final. Gurbani, 20, last won a title in the U-17 nationals held in Bangalore back in 2018, where he beat Shubham Patel of Rajasthan.

The youngster cited lockdown as a major reason for frustration and him losing his way before he bounced back last year when he won a silver at the senior ranking tournament in Pune.

Gurbani, who was ranked No. 1 in juniors, told www.mid-day.com: "This win [in Hyderabad] was something that I needed badly. Last year, I came second at the senior nationals in Pune. Even in 2019, I lost in the U-19 finals at Chandigarh. I was coming close, but missed the title."

Gurbani, a TY BCom student of the Shri Ram College in New Delhi, remarked how he was on the verge of quitting the sport when nothing was going his way.

"There were not many tournaments during the COVID-19 lockdown. I lacked motivation and did move away from sport for a brief period. My parents [Ravi and Sakshi] are doctors and there was no pressure from their end. Still, I decided to quit sports and concentrate on my studies. It was on a solo trip that I missed training, tournaments, and being on court so much. The next thing I did was catch a flight and go home," he explained.

Meanwhile, last year, the youngster joined Arvind Bhat's Level-Up Badminton Academy in Bangalore. Earlier, he had trained at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad and Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA). Talking about his decision to choose Bhat's academy over the other two prestigious training centres, Gurbani said: "PPBA has a major role to play in my life. It is at that academy where I got great support, sponsorships. My decision [to take a break] had nothing to do with the academy or Gopi sir, who was a great help. Hence I took a break [for two-three months] before making a comeback. My short-term goal is to be in the Top 5 of senior rankings. My long-term plan is to be in the Top 10 of the world," said Gurbani, whose favourite athlete is Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer.

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"In badminton, I idolise Chinese great Lin Dan as he could win from nowhere. From the current lot, it has to be Viktor Axelsen, the reigning World and Olympic Champion. I love his grit and attacking game," he signed off.