Berhampur: Eighteen-year-old Asutosh Ratha is a pioneering figure in the state for popularising a sport - ball badminton - that not many had heard of before he was selected as part of a 10-member Indian youth team for a tour of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Asutosh, who left for Chennai on Tuesday, will play test matches, doubles and mixed doubles in Malaysia from March 16 to 20 and Indonesia from March 20 to 23.

"I practised at Khallikote College Stadium for six hours a day under the supervision of my coach Sunita Panda after I was selected in the Indian team. I am confident, and I hope to bring glory to my country and state," said the budding talent.

His coach is also optimistic about his performance. "I have tried my best to train him and explore all his skills and abilities," said Panda.

Asutosh's father, Prasant, a constable at Bada Bazar police station, said: "I am happy that my son has been selected in the Indian team from among 160 players during the February 4 trial in New Delhi."

His inclusion in the national team did not come as a surprise to Ganjam Ball Badminton Association secretary Sanjay Kumar Bishoyi. Asutosh had excelled in state-level championships in Jeypore, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack and Dhenkanal, national championship in Telangana, inter-zonal championship in New Delhi last year.

The first-year BCA student of Disha College here was an avid cricketer as a youngster before shifting his focus to ball badminton.

He now wants a job in the railways or the police forces, so that he can pursue his sporting activities while earning a livelihood.

Despite being a sport native to India - played as early as 1856 by the royal family in Tanjore, the capital of Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu - ball badminton players find it difficult to find sponsors. As a result, many players are forced to quit the game in order to pursue other careers.

"Games are usually played outdoors during the day. As a result, weather conditions wield considerable influence, and ball badminton rules allow the effects of weather to be distributed evenly between both teams.

All-India tournaments are conducted regularly using floodlights in Tamil Naidu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka," said Odisha Ball Badminton Association secretary Sukant Das.

These days, the game has garnered some following, especially in the southern parts of India.

Ball badminton associations in the state hope that Asutosh's exploits for the Indian team will popularise the sport even further in Odisha.