I was initially inspired by my brother and then my coach who's also a renowned international Badminton player. As I spent more time practicing, I entered the sub-junior championship and won. I was soon called for training by the Sports Authority of India located in Bangalore. I met various famous sportspeople there such as Ms. Aparna Popat and Mr. Gopichand. Seeing such huge personalities right in front of me gave me a lot of motivation to do my best.

Pressure is a very slippery subject. It has the unfortunate potential to ruin your games to a huge extent by hampering your concentration and increasing self-doubt. Many say confidence is key. While that is true, one should also reveal that confidence takes time to build.

One gets comfortable on the court with more practices and tournaments. For me, it is vital I do some form of meditation such as Yoga or a guided session to center my mind. I also sit in a corner before tournaments. It is important to envision what was done wrong in the previous games and how you'd like to perform this time. This helps in creating an understanding of how the game should go.

When off the field, there is constant pressure. If I perform well in one game, I've set expectations in the mind of others and that thought is sometimes difficult to waive off. It is important to remember, comparison and others' expectations are not your headache!