From scripting epic win vs Saina Nehwal to World No. 32: Indian shuttler Malvika Bansod eyes ‘top-20, top-25’ next year

She is only 23-years-old, and has already proven herself to be a giant beater, when she defeated India legend Saina Nehwal at the 2022 India Open. She went all guns blazing against Nehwal, clinching a 21-17 21-9 victory to reach the quarter-finals. But her run came to an end in the quarter-finals, where she lost to Aakarshi Kashyap.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, in an exclusive interview facilitated by JetSynthesys, the ace shuttler gave a sneak-peek into her promising career as a professional athlete. Crediting her mother for pushing into the sport at a very young age, she said, “Well, I wouldn’t suggest that there’s any particular age to start playing any sport to be at that level. I personally started playing when I was around eight or nine and I was put into sport by my mother so that I developed a liking for sport, a good, you know, a good disciplined lifestyle. It was never like we had planned to go so far. It just happened and she put me into sport basically to get a better, you know, more disciplined, healthier kind of routine because, you know, kids are a bit fussy about maybe their food habits or something like that.”

“So she wanted me to be a disciplined person and sport as we all know can make a person into a really disciplined individual. So it was just that for fun, recreation and these things that she introduced me to badminton but then it happened that I delivered a few really incredible performances at a very young age. So that’s how it started and I started playing at Nagpur.”

After a period of time, she shifted from Nagpur to Raipur, to receive coaching from Mr. Shrikant Vad, who is also the head coach at Thane Badminton Academy. Bansod also began to follow the diet of a professional athlete from ‘14 or 15’ years of age, as she had started representing India at international events then. “So that’s the time when I started really focusing on the professional diet that naturally needs to happen,” she said.

Bansod’s win against Nehwal was a huge headline for the Indian badminton fraternity in the country, and it also saw her enter the international spotlight. Recollecting on her win, she said, “Until that time, in 2022, that was the biggest win of my career and definitely that I was very excited to play against my idol because I had idolized her till then and even now I look up to so many of her qualities on court because of her aggressive playing style, her fighting spirit and so many other things that she has. So it was really, it was an incredible match to be able to play against her and it was even more exciting that I won that match, I played very well and definitely that match got me a lot of attention, not only in India but also throughout the world.”

“In this year I’d say that the biggest win has been against the reigning Olympic bronze medalist at China Open, so yes,” she added.

When asked about her idol, Bansod instantly named Chinese shuttler Lin Dan, who is also a two-time Olympic gold medallist, five-time World champion. “He was a legendary player and he was my role model since childhood,” she said.

With the 2025 season coming up, Indian fans will be hoping to see Bansod make a jump in the BWF women’s singles rankings. The Nagpur native will be hoping to work on her ‘mental strength’ and ‘consistency’ which she feels are key to help her surge forward in the rankings. “So the difference between the top-10 or top-15 of the world and the rest of the world is that they are just more consistent in whatever they do they have all the players in the top I’d say top-20, top 30 the world have almost the same kind of skills maybe the same kind of physical fitness as well but the thing that separates them is their mental strength and consistency so I think that working on these two aspects will definitely help me go forward,” she said.

“I would certainly like to break into top-25, top-20 as soon as possible and since I debuted in my first international event, senior international event, I had told the interviewer that I want to break into top-200, top-100. So now I feel proud about myself and I have reached number 32 and I was as high as 28 as well last year. So I would like to break into top-25, top-20 next year as soon as possible,” she added.

To achieve her goals, Bansod will be hoping to hone her attacking skills, and also be more consistent during the tour. When asked to describe herself as a player, she simply replied, “Well I think you shouldn’t ask that to any player but that is something that no player would like to expose but since you asked I’d say that yes I would like to develop more attack and as I mentioned being consistent and being mentally strong at that level is the only thing that takes you forward because all the players are by and large same kind of skill same kind of technique but the thing that differentiates them is their mental strength if it’s and their consistency. How long can you be that perfect for how many years that that just proves your you know standing at the international level. So I want to work more on that.”

She also had a special mention for Taiwanese badminton star Tai Tzu-ying, calling the 30-year-old the ‘best female shuttler’ of all time, despite not participating in tournaments currently due to injury issues.

Bansod also recently signed a partnership with JetSynthesys and Real Sports, with the aim to keep herself less distracted from the non-essential aspects of her career. Speaking on her partnership, she said, “I really want to thank JetSynthesys and Real Sports for taking me on board and I’m really looking forward to a very strong and long bond with them. And I would like to thank them for you know, taking care of managing my things of course. So, I’m really looking forward to a very very good partnership with them.”

Speaking about the association, Rajan Navani, Founder and CEO of JetSynthesys, said, “At JetSynthesys, we are committed to creating meaningful opportunities for athletes who inspire the nation. Malvika’s journey is a story of talent, grit and perseverance, which is what Real Sports also stands for, in our mission to support and nurture world-class athletes from India. Our partnerships with athletes from multiple sports have demonstrated how our integrated approach can unlock new opportunities for stars, both on and off the field.”

Meanwhile, Tarish Bhatt, Chief Business Officer of Real Sports, added, “Malvika Bansod represents the next wave of Indian badminton talent, and we are honoured to welcome her to Real Sports. Our goal is to empower athletes by providing them with opportunities that go beyond traditional partnerships, helping them create a lasting impact on the sports ecosystem. With Malvika, we see immense potential to drive meaningful engagement for both, her and her growing fan base.”