Pickleball Fever Grips India: A Sport for All Ages on the Cusp of Unprecedented Popularity

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Pickleball, the sport that's taken the world by storm, has finally arrived in India, and it's spreading like wildfire. Vishnu Vardhan, a four-time national singles champion and veteran tennis player, has been at the forefront of promoting and playing pickleball in the country. His seven-year-old son is now hooked on the sport, and Vishnu believes it's the perfect opportunity for people to get outdoors, be active, and have fun. The accessibility of pickleball is one of its biggest strengths. Unlike tennis, which has a steep learning curve, pickleball is easy to pick up, making it an ideal sport for all ages. Vishnu credits this ease of access for the sport's rapid growth, saying, 'The first thing that struck me was how easy it is to get started.' He believes that pickleball's 'gully cricket' factor, where people can play anywhere, is unmatched by other racquet sports. As the sport gains popularity, it's not just the participation that's increasing, but also the viewership. Vishnu compares pickleball's entertainment quotient to cricket, saying, 'When people watch a cricket match or a league, they're fully entertained, not just by the sport but by everything happening around it.' He believes that this similarity is helping pickleball see a spike in both viewership and participation. However, for pickleball to reach its full potential, a structured approach is needed. The Indian Pickleball Association (IPA) is working towards standardizing surfaces, balls, and training officials and referees. Vishnu is excited to be a part of the inaugural Indian Pickleball League, which is being organized on a grand scale with the support of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and the Sports Authority of India. The league is expected to take pickleball to a professional level, and Vishnu is optimistic about the sport's future. He believes that once India and the rest of the pickleball-playing world adopts a structured approach, the sport will be ready for its next big leap: inclusion in major multi-nation events like the Asian Games and eventually the Olympics. While pickleball is gaining traction, it's not at the expense of other racquet sports like tennis and badminton. Instead, it's creating a new entry point for people who may have drifted away from sports. Vishnu believes that this is a positive trend, saying, 'Rather than taking away from tennis, badminton, or table tennis, pickleball is creating a new entry point. For a young sporting nation like ours, this is very positive.' As India prepares to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and bids for the Olympics, Vishnu is confident that the country will mature into a strong global sporting nation. With pickleball on the rise, it's an exciting time for Indian sports enthusiasts, and it will be fascinating to see how this sport continues to evolve and grow in the years to come.