India, Sept. 16 -- It is time for global badminton to turn its focus on the Asian Games, which opens in Aichi-Nagoya on September 19. For Indian sports fans, the spotlight swings back to PV Sindhu.

For over a decade, India's most decorated shuttler has dealt with the pressure of expectation, bearing the weight of a nation's sporting ambitions whenever she steps on the court. Still, as she heads to her fourth Asian Games, it feels strikingly different.

There is calm assurance, a quiet recalibration which suggests that the two-time Olympic medallist is enjoying a second wave in her illustrious career.

Her history at the continental Games tells a story of constant evolution. A second-round exit as a teenager at Incheon 2014, a historic si...