Deceptive cross-court shots and powerful smashes are the hallmark of this 14-year-old shuttler from the steel city.
That she won women's singles, Under-19 singles and doubles titles in the just-ended state 46th Mohan Memorial Badminton Championship in Jamshedpur indicates Deyashi Kanjibillya's prowess.
Ranked No. 6 in the U-15 category by Badminton Association of India, Deyashi is arguably Jharkhand's best shuttler today. Parental support and a penchant for winning titles help this Class IX student of St Mary's English School mark her presence on courts.
Like always, Deyashi was cool and collected after slotting home three titles during the tournament that concluded on Sunday "I am happy to retain the women's and under-19 titles. In fact, I was confident of an encore," she said.
Badminton comes naturally to the teen, a self-confessed foodie who loves whatever her mother Reshmi rustles up for her at their Kadma home.
Deyashi, holding a racquet since she was three, was ranked No. 4 nationally for a month. But, her ranking dropped owing to her performance in the All India Sub-Junior Major Ranking Tournament held in Gulbarga (Karnataka) between August 31 and September 6.
"I lost in the first round because I was not fully fit. I received six stitches on my right leg after a fall during a practice session. The injury took place just a couple of days before my departure for the sub-junior event," she recalled.
Save the poor show in Gulbarga, she had a satisfactory outing in the All India Sub-Junior Major Ranking Tournament held in New Delhi between June 22 and June 28. Deyashi reached the quarterfinals. She also made it to the last eight in the 2014 editions of the sub-junior majors held in Bhagalpur, Tispur (Tami Nadu) and Hyderabad.
She was also on top in the U-15, 17, 19 and women's categories at last year's Mohan Memorial Badminton Championship.
Not surprisingly, Deyashi nurtures big dreams.
"I want to represent my country in the Olympics. I also want to become the top shuttler in the country," she added.
Deyashi, who idolises Spaniard Carolina Marin (world No. 2), works out five hours a day. "I'm running and attending gym sessions. Agility matters in badminton," she said.
Father Subroto, a Tata Steel employee, is always by her side, accompanying Deyashi wherever she goes to compete. "I want to see her as the top badminton player in the country. Sometimes, my wife accompanies her for events."
Jharkhand Badminton Association (JBA) secretary K. Prabhakar Rao heaped plaudits on the shuttler, who trained for a month at Prakash Padukone's cradle in Bangalore last year. "Deyashi would have added an edge had she worked at Puella Gopichand's academy in Hyderabad in 2009, but she couldn't go due to some unavoidable circumstances," Rao added.
