India, Aug. 16 -- When the year started, India's premier women's doubles pair, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, were operating in sync, showcasing their rapid playing style that previously carried them to a career-best ranking of world No.9 last year.

However, on April 1, an injury halted their momentum during a training session. "While practicing, I had this ankle twist. When we took the MRI and all, it showed two ligament tears and two higher grade muscle tears," Treesa told HT.

It required an immediate pause on their progress. For Treesa, recovery demanded utmost patience. Seven weeks of complete bed rest followed by two months of rehabilitation. In total, she was sidelined from competitive badminton for nearly three months.

"Tha...