Bansod glad to get back in the groove

Malvika Bansod. PIC/Badminton Association of India

India shuttler Malvika Bansod, who lost to Thailand's Lalinrat Chaiwan 12-21, 14-21 in the women's singles semi-final of the Guwahati Masters Super 100 badminton tournament on Saturday, is satisfied with her performance in the tournament, considering she took some time to recover from dengue and typhoid after her return from the Asian Games (September 23- October 8).

"In Guwahati, I started playing well but in the semi-finals, Chaiwan, whom I beat at the Asian Badminton Junior championship in 2019, was able to execute her plan better. Meanwhile, I could not get my flow in the game. Also, after my return from the Asian Games, I suffered from dengue and typhoid, leading to a lot of weakness. It took a long time to recover. I'm glad that I'm regaining the groove," Bansod told www.mid-day.com.

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The Nagpur-based shuttler is currently ranked World No. 58. When asked If she was able to reach the rankings she aimed for at the start of the year (be in Top 50), Bansod replied: "Rankings are very deceptive and cannot portray the potential or the overall improvement in a player. In the developmental stages, we all need to have patience and perseverance to make it to the Top 20 of the BWF rankings. Since those players are on circuit for around 15 years or more, I consider that with my modest exposure to the international circuit, I have been able to progress and sustain the top 50 for the past year-and-a-half. This January, I managed to achieve my career-best ranking of 28," she remarked.

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Talking about the year 2023, she said it was a mixed bag. "I played some brilliant matches against the Top 10 players. In April, at the Asian Badminton Championship in Dubai, I played brilliantly against World No.1 from Japan Akane Yamaguchi and my scoreline read 21-23, 19-21. At the Syed Modi tournament last week, I managed to take the game against former World No. 1 Nozomi Okuhara, to the decider [lost 21-18, 17-21, 10,21]. I was constantly playing against the Top 20 of the world this entire year and was able to take lead in the game, but unable to convert those games to victories. It's been a mixed year for me. I managed to reach the quarter-final of the HYLO Open Super 300 tournament [October 31 to November 5] and the Bahrain International Challenge [November 21-26]. I am working on my physical and mental weaknesses and strengths. I'm determined to make the necessary changes and modifications in my game to get to the top in a few months' time," she signed off.