Ashwini resets, with Tanisha for company

There is an excitement in Ashwini Ponnappa’s voice that seemed to have gone missing for a while

- Sandip Sikdar

The enthusiasm is reminiscent of her younger self when she was breaking through the ranks, on her way to becoming one of India’s finest doubles exponents a decade-and-a-half back.

This time though, the energy is all about her new partnership with the 20-year-old Tanisha Crasto.

The duo became the first Indian pair to win a Commonwealth Games gold in 2010. They are still the only Indian women’s doubles team to win a World Championship medal (a bronze in 2011). They clinched a bronze at the extremely tough Asian Championships in 2014 and also entered the top 10 in the world.

But Ponnappa’s career stalled once Jwala hung up her racquet after the 2016 Rio Olympics. She seemed lost but many reckoned that the experience of having competed against the best in the world would help her find success again. But things don't always go to plan.

The shuttler from Bengaluru decided to partner N Sikki Reddy next but she could never replicate the success she had with Jwala. The pair reached six finals – three each on the BWF World Tour and lower tier International Challenges – in the six years they were together but failed to win a single tournament. It wasn't easy.

Unsure of what to do next, the 34-year-old mutually ended her partnership with Sikki after the 2022 World Championships in August and took a hiatus for the rest of the year. It was a time of introspection.