Trupti Murgunde impressed by Lakshya Sen’s ability to challenge top players as he breaks into the top 10 World Rankings

The rise of Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen has been exceptional for Indian badminton lovers. They now have a hope of following someone, who has the talent of reaching the summit in men’s badminton. Lakshya Sen off late have put up great performances against the top performers in the circuit.

A bronze medal at the World Championships and now a silver medal at the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships means he is one of the most consistent shuttlers in the circuit right now. He also bagged the Indian Open title and finished second in the German Open proving his mettle to the world.

His exploits over the last few months have impressed many starting from his former coach and  India shuttler Prakash Padukone to 2006 Commonwealth Games shuttler Trupti Murgunde, Murgunde shared her thoughts regarding the youngster in an interaction with Sportskeeda.

Murgunde highlighted how the overall level of badminton has gone up. She credits how the government and the overall setup has worked hard in improving Indian badminton as a whole.

“It is a good sign for Indian badminton to see the upcoming stars perform well. I am very happy with the way things have panned out in Indian badminton, especially after the Olympics. At the start of every Olympic cycle, there will be changes in sports with budding players showcasing their progress. This time, it has been quite well for Indian badminton,” she said.

Trupti has followed Lakshya Sen since his early days as both were a part of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru. While Murgunde was a more senior shuttler Sen was starting to hone his skills. She highlights how Sen’s ability to consistently challenge top players impresses her the most.

“I have known Lakshya Sen since his formative days. We used to train at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy. He is an extremely focused player. What has been impressive is his ability to consistently challenge and beat top players. There is a sense of maturity when he takes the court,” she added.

The Indian shuttler broke into the top 10 World Rankings courtesy of a very impressive run in the last few tournaments. This will only help him in getting easier draws in future tournaments. Hopefully he will only improve from here and win several accolades for India.