For decades, Indian men’s singles badminton has been defined by artistry wristy deception, soft hands at the net, and electric reflexes. From Prakash Padukone’s craft to Kidambi Srikanth’s explosive stroke play, the Indian style has traditionally been horizontal: fast, clever, evasive. Ayush Shetty is rewriting that geometry.
At 6’4” (1.95m), the 20-year-old from Karnataka is a physical anomaly in Indian badminton. And in 2025, he broke through not by mimicking the past, but by embracing his greatest differentiator vertical dominance. His US Open Super 300 title and two statement wins over World No. 9 Kodai Naraoka have pushed the conversation into a bold new territory: Is Indian badminton witnessing the rise of its own Viktor Axelsen?
And more importantly, is Ayush Shetty the heir to the India No. 1 throne currently held by Lakshya Sen?
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To understand Ayush Shetty’s ceiling, you must first understand why people call him the “Indian Axelsen.” Badminton today rewards athletes who can play above the tape those who generate steep, downward angles that leave opponents helpless.
Shetty’s height provides two massive competitive advantages:
A Steep, Crushing Attack: His contact point sits far above the average player’s. Instead of relying on placement, he relies on physics. The angles he produces are nearly unreturnable when executed well; they compress the opponent’s reaction time and force weak lifts.
Mid-Court Command: His wingspan lets him smother rallies early. Flat drives that trouble most Indian players become routine interceptions for Shetty. He not only closes space he removes it.
This profile gives him something few Indians have ever had: a bailout option. When rallies get messy, he can simply hit through the opponent. That’s a luxury that doesn’t exist for most of India’s wrist-dominant shuttlers.
But to become India No. 1, Ayush Shetty must go through the most consistent Indian player of the last five years: Lakshya Sen. Their quarterfinal at the Australian Open 2025 revealed both the promise and the gap. Shetty pushed Sen to 23–21 in the first game, matching his defence, controlling the net exchanges, and using his reach to trouble Sen’s rhythm. That game alone proved Shetty’s ceiling matches Sen’s best.
Then came the second game 11–21 and the reminder of where Shetty still trails. Sen, famous for his diesel-engine stamina, raised the pace. Shetty, carrying far more body mass, visibly slowed.
To beat Sen, Shetty doesn’t need more weapons. He needs a bigger engine. Moving a 6’4” frame is an energy-intensive task. Unless Shetty can produce three high-intensity games five days consecutively the reality of Super 500 and Super 750 events he cannot consistently beat Sen or the global Top 10.
The Naraoka Breakthrough: Patience Over Power
If the Sen match exposed Shetty’s conditioning gap, the Naraoka victories showed his growing maturity. Naraoka is badminton’s endurance exam relentless, unhurried, and designed to drag players into 90-minute trenches. For a tall, attacking player like Shetty, Naraoka should be stylistic poison.
Yet Shetty beat him twice in three months in Hong Kong and again in Australia.
These wins mattered because they weren’t about firepower; they were about restraint. Shetty rallied patiently, resisted the urge to finish every point, and waited for the perfect moment to unleash his steep kill shots. That evolution from raw hitter to controlled aggressor is the difference between a Top 30 player and a future Top 10 contender.
The Roadmap to India No. 1
With Shetty at World No. 32 and Sen at No. 14, the gap is roughly 20,000 ranking points. That difference is surmountable, but it requires targeted growth in three areas.
Mastering the Body Smash: Tall players always get attacked at the hips and chest what coaches call the “handcuff zone.” Shetty has improved here, but elite shuttlers will keep testing that corridor until he proves he can consistently defend it.
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Developing the B-Game: Right now, Shetty wins when his attack works. To become India No. 1, he must also win when it doesn’t. His next step is building a grinding, point-by-point style for bad days something Sen, Prannoy, and Srikanth mastered early in their careers.
Climbing the Ladder Through Tournament Selection: Super 300 wins (like the US Open) build confidence. But ranking leaps happen at Super 500s and 750s, where deeper runs multiply points. Shetty must consistently reach semifinals at these events to eat into Sen’s cushion.
The Verdict: A Matter of “When,” Not “If”
Can Ayush Shetty become India No. 1? Yes and his trajectory suggests it’s inevitable.
What Shetty has is unteachable: height, angle, reach, and a vertical style that can dominate the future of badminton. What he lacks stamina, defensive versatility, tournament endurance is teachable. If he stays healthy and evolves physically to support his explosive game, he will not merely challenge Lakshya Sen. He will surpass him.
And if everything clicks, Ayush Shetty could become something even rarer: India’s first men’s singles player built to dominate the physical era of global badminton.
The baton hasn’t changed hands yet. But the hand reaching for it is getting closer.
