The Leftie Rewriting Indian Badminton — Sankar Subramanian | Mic & Magic
He was ranked World No. 64. His opponent was World No. 2 — a three-time World Championship medallist. Sixty-six minutes later, the scoreline read 18-21, 21-12, 21-5, and Indian badminton had a brand-new name to remember.
Today on Mic & Magic, Manan sits down with Sankar Subramanian — the left-handed shuttler from Chennai who stunned Anders Antonsen at the Swiss Open and announced himself to the world. But the upset is only the beginning of the story.
Sankar dropped out of school at 15 to chase badminton full-time — with no Plan B. His father, a former tennis player, knew exactly what the climb would cost. His mother and father both left their jobs to travel with him. His sister, once a state champion herself, became the mind behind his schedule. This is a family that bet everything on one boy and one racket.
In this episode, Manan explores what it actually takes to go from a middle-class home in Tamil Nadu to beating the world's best. Sankar opens up about why he sees the court differently as a left-hander, why he's chosen the "unglamorous" art of defence in a sport obsessed with the smash, how moving from training with his dad to the Gopichand Academy transformed his game, and what was running through his mind in real time as he dismantled a world No. 2. He also shares his lowest point — the 2024 season that quietly broke and rebuilt him — and answers a question every ambitious young person has asked themselves: is it selfish to put your dream first?
This episode is for every kid who's been told to keep a "safe" Plan B, every athlete who's been made to feel that defence is boring, and every dreamer who has ever wondered whether chasing something big makes them selfish. Sankar's answer might change how you think about your own goals.
3 THINGS YOU'LL TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE:
Defence is a weapon, not a weakness. Sankar explains why reading the game and sustaining any pace in a rally can dismantle a pure attacker — and why the shots that never make the highlight reel are often the ones that win the match.
What it really takes to turn pro. From dropping out of school with no Plan B to a whole family rearranging their lives around one career, Sankar is honest about the cost of commitment — and how results, not hope, told them they were on the right path.
ABOUT OUR GUEST — SANKAR SUBRAMANIAN:
First Indian to stun World No. 2 Anders Antonsen at the Swiss Open 2025 — while ranked World No. 64
Former Junior World No. 1 in boys' singles
Silver medallist, 2022 BWF World Junior Championships
Bronze medallist, Asian Junior Championships
Left-handed men's singles player from Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Trains at the Gopichand Academy, known for his defence, control, and rallying game
ABOUT MIC & MAGIC WITH MANAN
This is a podcast hosted by young India's most curious interviewer — bringing you honest, inspiring conversations with the country's rising sports stars, achievers, and changemakers. New episodes drop every fortnight at 7 AM.
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