“It’s a very wholesome experience, being here in a tournament of this level and being around some of the country’s best athletes,” Anmol says.

“Maybe I can discuss some of the strengths of players that play other sports and use it in my own game. I have never got the chance to do that,” Unnati chimes in.

From hockey to wrestling to track and field, Haryana has unquestionably been Indian sport’s golden goose – four of India’s six medals, and 24 of its 117 Olympians in Paris last year came from the state. But the success story has not always included racquet sports, a field historically dominated by the country’s southern states. Trailblazer Saina Nehwal, the biggest name before PV Sindhu emerged, moved out of Haryana to Hyderabad because of the lack of coaching expertise in her home state.

At the upcoming Games, which kicked off on Tuesday with a grand opening ceremony that featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi and fanfare, two of India’s leading badminton prospects are expected to sound out a reminder of how that may be changing.

Signs of greenshoots

While Unnati and Anmol are the most successful, they are not the only ones emerging from their state. Each of the last three women’s singles events at the national championships have been won by shuttlers from Haryana; the 2023 champion, Anupama Upadhyay, also won the title at the National Games that year in Goa.

“Knowing that we come from a state where we get such support, one that has seen so many successful athletes, we obviously want to do well. There are so many Olympians from there… no shortage of inspiration,” Anmol says.

“Badminton was not always the big sport in Haryana. Slowly, it is growing. I’m seeing so many young players that want to try the sport,” Unnati, who continues to train in her hometown of Rohtak, with no immediate plans to move to one of India’s top academies, adds. “I think they see players on the international level from India and maybe they want to replicate their success.”

Since she was 15, expectations from Unnati have only risen. The teenager was anointed as the next big thing in women’s badminton early, but she plays down expectations coolly. Improving her physical conditioning after spending six months out with injury last year, and improving the variety in her strokes, are the goals for the year.

Expectations are harboured of her being the next Sindhu or Saina – “Singles is the main thing,” she says – but she will continue to play doubles until she is having fun doing it and she thinks it is improving her game.

She is playing the team event in Dehradun, where she may be called upon to play doubles. The motivation may not run as deep as that for a BWF tournament – she’s missing the Super 300 in Thailand to be here – but conditions may be as challenging.

Some of the players believe the courts at the swanky-looking, renovated Multi Purpose Hall in Dehradun’s Parade Ground resemble that of an international tournament, with them playing quite slow. It is what some of them prepare for.

“We train according to tournament conditions, so yes, sometimes there is a focus on playing on slow courts like this,” Anmol says. “This actually suits my game more, my pushes and more attacking style plays better here. I struggle more on fast courts.”

Anmol, also a player of whom big things are expected, is keen to repeat she is not letting the hype get the best of her. She joined the Gopichand Academy about six months ago, prior to which she was still training in her hometown of Faridabad, and the main focus is fitness: improving her speed and endurance to play under pressure on the big stages. The more pressing concern are her upcoming exams.

“After this tournament, I think I will take a 15-20 day break to study. I have to give my boards and do well. After that is off my head, I’ll play more freely,” she says.

Unnati is a bit more relaxed, even pondering playing a tournament in between: “There’s a 20-day gap between two of my exams. So…”

Major academic goals and future developmental targets can wait though. This week, the plan is to win for their state, play and interact with their mates, and enjoy the moment.