I aim to be better than Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, says teenager Tanisha Crasto

Tanisha Crasto is being seen as a future doubles star in India due to her phenomenal recent results.

Eighteen-year-old Tanisha is ranked No. 1 in the Under-19 mixed doubles with Ishaan Bhatnagar, and No. 2 in the Under-19 girls doubles in India.

Tanisha, who was born and brought up in Dubai, is not only churning out brilliant performances in India but also excelling at the the international level. The pair of Tanisha and Aditi Bhatt are ranked No. 9 in the world in the Under-19 girls doubles.

The talented duo of Tanisha and Aditi Bhatt did extremely well to break into the world’s top-10 early this year.

Tanisha, whose parents are based in Dubai, represents Goa in the domestic tournaments. In the West Zone Badminton Championships held in Bilaspur in 2018, Tanisha did well for both Goa in the team events as well as in the individual.

Tanisha shot into the limelight in 2016 when she triumphed at the Bahrain International Challenge in the women’s doubles as a 13-year-old. The pair of Tanisha and Aprilsasi Putri Lejarsar Variella of Indonesia defeated the Indian duo of Farha Mather and Ashna Roy 21-12, 21-18 in the final.

In 2017, Tanisha created history by winning the Indian Club UAE Open tournament in the women’s singles event after beating Negin Amiripour of Iran when she was just 14.

Tanisha Crasto won two junior international titles in 2019

A couple of years ago, Tanisha emerged champion twice in the junior international tournaments. The pair of Tanisha and Aditi reigned supreme in the Dubai Junior International Series in September 2019.

Before that, the in-form duo also clinched the title at the Bulgarian Junior International Challenge Championship in August 2019.

Tanisha also represented the country at the BWF World Junior Championships held in October 2019 in Kazan, Russia. She has also represented the junior U-17 and U-19 Indian teams in various international tournaments.

Junior national chief coach Sanjay Mishra termed her a bright prospect in the doubles.

“Tanisha can definitely be groomed as a doubles specialist. She has a wonderful game with a positive attitude. Since she is playing both the doubles she must improve her strength and power to get success at the international level. Sometimes she has to play girls doubles and mixed doubles matches in a short span of an hour. Therefore, she must improve her stamina too,” said Sanjay Mishra.

The tall and lanky Tanisha has now completely shifted to India and has been training at the Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad.

Here are the excerpts from the interview:

Q: You are ranked No. 1 in the Under-19 mixed doubles and No. 2 in girls doubles in India. How do you manage to reach the top spot in both the events, especially when you started as a singles player?

A: I always loved playing doubles as I would play doubles most of the time in Dubai. Since I would fly to India from Dubai I used to play two events which were singles and doubles. My performance in doubles was really good and I was winning most of the tournaments. Soon I realized that doubles and mixed were my events and I could perform really well. I guess I practiced a lot for doubles so it was easier.

Q: You are placed seventh in the senior section in the mixed doubles category with Ishaan Bhatnagar. How would you like to see your progress in the seniors in the next couple of years?

A: I think Ishaan and I are a really good pair and we can do great in the future. We are winning a lot of tournaments. We recently won the All India Senior Rankings tournament which has given us a boost to perform better. I think that we can really make a name in the seniors’ circuit with constant practice and match plays.

Q: You are a specialist doubles player. Do you think you can reach the level of Jwala Gutta or Ashwini Ponnappa, who have done well for India at the senior level in both the categories?

A: Yes I really think I can reach their level but I aim to be better. Training for us has now become more intense and with the help of my coaches and parents I think I can do it.

Q: Tell us something about your background and Dubai connection?

A: I was born and brought up in Dubai. My family lives in Dubai and this is where I started playing badminton, or for that matter started my career. I have finished my schooling in Dubai itself and since I had to play badminton in the national center in Hyderabad I had to shift to India. My family is still based in Dubai.

Q: Are you enjoying your training at the Gopichand Academy? Whom would you like to give credit to for your success so far?

A: I am currently training at Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad and I am happy to play with quality players everyday. I would like to give credit to my parents for helping me reach where I am and to Gopi Sir for helping me to get better.

Q: What are your short-term goals and your long-term target?

A: My short term goal is to get better and understand my training and apply them to my game. My long term goal is to win a medal in the Olympics or World Championships.

Edited by S Chowdhury