Anupama Upadhyay comes back to defeat Aakarshi Kashyap for the national badminton title.

Then my father caught COVID and died. It was tough to manage at home, says the eldest child of the family of a time when responsibility overwhelmed her. Otherwise, she could spend hours in Almora quietly immersed in badminton. Yes, you can definitely say I’m the next Sindhu or Saina, says the surprise finalist and winner.
I’m training like that, can’t be dismissed with a ‘yeah, okay’ smile. She has competed on the international circuit and is aware of the skill and speed gap between the Chinese and Japanese girls. The ‘next’ tag is not to be taken lightly, but Anupama earned the right to define her tag on the day she defeated Aakarshi Kashyap 20-22, 21-17, 24-22.
Anupama, who was born in Almora and began her training with Rohit Mandhan during a summer vacation, had switched from swimming. Her father, who was then with the Delhi Police, was a cricketer who valued a sporty childhood for his children over academics.
She moved to train with DK Sen after being inspired by Lakshya, then to Bangalore and the Padukone academy, and it was only recently that she moved to represent Haryana, where Mandhan trains, so she could take her open school boards.
Anupama would put pressure on Aakarshi as a junior looking to take her down, and the growing tension would frighten the 23-year-old. This week, Aakarshi won the first game, but promptly fell behind 8-1 in the second.
Anupama was ready for her attacking tosses and straight smashes, but not so much the slow drops, and though she took the second set 21-17, there was a hint of nervousness in her.
Aakarshi would come back from 17-10, her determination lauded by national coach P Gopichand later in a media interaction, but the Chhattisgarh woman seemed to have had something rattle her usual focus. The pressure of playing a junior, she would later explain. When the match went to extra points in the decider, it was Anupama’s canny flick serve at 23-22 that gave her the victory.
Knowing well that Aakarshi likes to rush to the net, the youngster would send the flick serve behind and on cue, Aakarshi sent her smash into the net from a slightly unbalanced position.
I was also rushing to take the points and made mistakes. But the shuttle was new, and I saw an opportunity to flick and pounce on the chance to win the Nationals. Who knows if I’ll get another chance? Anupama elaborated.
You’re on the right track. She believes she is on an equal footing with Ashmita Chaliha and Malvika Bansod, and she has worked hard for it. Early days in Almora were hard work. We would only practise and eat breakfast at the stadium from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Then, after lunch, I’d train from 4 to 9. Monday through Sunday, there are numerous 10- to 12-kilometer hill runs. After all those difficult years, my family finally has something to celebrate, she adds.
Her father, Naveen, recalls trying to teach her how to play mind games on the court to buy time for a break. She’s far too direct. Small tricks are impossible to teach her. ‘Bhagwaan sab dekh raha hai (God is watching everything),’ she says. Punish karega’ next time, he laughs. A small stroke of luck on the net chord would help her on Tuesday in the finals.
Anupama is focused and in control of waking up early and eating a proper protein diet, and she knows what it takes to advance to the international level. At first, she refused to eat eggs, so we had to mix them with milk and give them to her.
But when she refused, I told her she couldn’t play badminton for two days. That got her going. Then she developed a taste for boiled eggs, her father recalls.
She would declare that after winning the Nationals, she would celebrate with a pizza – Margherita, her favourite variety minus the veggies. And a cool drink. However, she may listen and avoid that. He also enjoys making Instagram dance videos and listening to The Weeknd.
Attend his concert is a dream on my bucket list, Anupama says, in true Bangalorean fashion. The Almora girl has come a long way, and she now has a National championship to show for it.