Saina Nehwal: The unlikely architect who changed Indian badminton forever

Saina Nehwal’s retirement, announced in a podcast, was generally received with a sense of ennui. Out of circuit for almost two years, the badminton world accepted the former world No.1’s absence as a receding hairline. The inevitable that happens with an athlete as years and injuries pile on. Reassessment and retrospection followed almost immediately after Saina’s confession though she has refused to make her plans official. “I actually felt that I entered the sport on my own terms and left on my own terms, so there was no need to announce it.” She may apparently be rather casual about her absence, but history of Indian sport will not let her be.Saina Nehwal’s name will glow not merely as a...