Shuttler Tanisha Crasto has started 2024 with a bang as she was part of the Indian women's team that recently clinched the gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships. It was the first time that India's women's team achieved the feat. The 20-year-old played her part in India's win as she clinched an important win in the quarterfinals with her partner Ashwini Ponnapa. The Indian duo defeated Hong Kong's Yeung Nga Ting and Yeung Pui Lam in straight games.
Things will only get more challenging for the UAE born as she is eyeing an Olympic quota. Crasto and Ponnapa are in a race against their fellow country women Tressa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand to win a ticket for the Paris Olympic Games.
Amid the celebrations and preparations to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Carsto took time out for an interview with CNBCTV-18.com.
Excerpts from the conversation are below:
How was your experience in the recently-concluded Badminton Asia Team Championships where the Indian women's team won its maiden gold medal? Has the feeling of winning the gold sunk in?
Tanisha Crasto: I am feeling great. We girls have created history so it feels great to be on the podium. We are really happy about it.
Could you give us some insights into the months leading into this tournament?
Tanisha Crasto: I don't think we went into the tournament with any intention. We just wanted to give our best and I think the results show that each one of us gave more than 100 percent. There wasn't any specific preparation, it was our normal training.
How is the women's badminton in India currently placed. The team that won the gold medal was a good mix of experienced and young shuttlers. There were experienced players like P.V. Sindhu and Ashwini Ponnapa and then there were young players like yourself, Gayatri Gopichand, Tressa Jolly and Anmol Kharb.
Tanisha Crasto: This is one of the strongest teams that we have ever had, with two women's double teams in the top 20. I think it is a great point for our team that we could probably pull out two women's doubles matches. We have Anmol... also Ashmita (Chaliha) has been doing so well. She upset (Nozomi) Okohara at a time when the latter is in such a good form.
You can't really underestimate any girl in this team. We have so much potential. India has been coming up with so many women's players. We girls are capable of doing so much more better.
How did you start playing doubles with Ashwini Ponnapa? How are the two of you complementing each other during the matches?
Tanisha Crasto: The pairing happened one day over food. She didn't have a partner and I didn't either. We discussed this over a meal and just decided to play together. The coaches felt that this would be a great combination and so did we, So we decided to play from January this year. I think over time we have progressed, even if the progress meant tiny steps. With every match that we have played, there has been a learning. We have taken note of the mistakes and we have come back and worked on them.
Today we are in a great place. There is still so much more to improve on. I genuinely enjoy playing with her. She is a lovely person, besides being hard working.
You and Ashwini Ponnapa are locked in a battle with the India's other women's doubles pair of Gayatri Gopichand and Tressa Jolly for the Paris Olympic quota. At the end only one of the two pairs will qualify. How do you see this?
Tanisha Crasto: I think it is a great healthy competition. The fact that there are two women's doubles pairs who are fighting for one place itself is a great achievement for India. I am enjoying it. The fact of having competition makes me and didi (Ashwini Ponnapa) work even harder because we both are fighting for one place. But of course it is a healthy competition and whether they (Gayatri Gopichand and Tressa Jolly) go or we go, it will be an achievement for all of us.
Of course, if we have made it to the Olympics, that means we can win a medal too. I wouldn't like to think too much about it right now. There are still lots of tournaments to be played. But if they go, I wish them all the luck and I really hope they bring a medal for India. If I don’t manage it, I don't think it’s the end of the world. There are still many more tournaments after that. I still have to work very hard and of course I will try for the next Olympics.
You were born in the UAE. How was your early life? How did you get interested in badminton. Early in your career you also represented Bahrain. How did you start playing for India?
Tanisha Crasto: My dad used to love playing cricket. But as the grounds in Dubai disappeared, he took up an indoor sport and he would take me along every day. I used to sit and watch him play. That’s how I gradually developed an interest in badminton. After that, dad and I would play badminton every day.
At the age of seven or eight, I started playing my first tournaments in Dubai. And from Dubai it slowly went to the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) which had Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, among others. (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are the six GCC countries). I started playing all of these tournaments but I was very young. But I knew I wanted to make a career in this. Then I moved to India and onwards to the National Centre to play for India.
I did win a couple of tournaments while representing Bahrain. But eventually I knew that I had to shift to India. We were waiting for the right time to shift because after you move to a certain country, there is a limited time period after which you can play for another country. I never really had any intention to play for Bahrain, always wanted to play for India.
I would like to round off this interview by asking what is your ultimate dream.
Tanisha Crasto: My dream has always been winning an Olympic medal. I wouldn't say any medal in Olympics, but an Olympic gold medal is my dream. I am already very happy and proud of the place that I am in. I am very grateful for a lot of things. But it still isn't the end. There is still a long way to go and lots to achieve. I still want to fulfil my dreams. If I am able to give in my 100 percent every day and in all my matches, I think I would be proud of myself.
