Promise 2025: As a new year begins, there is bound to be fresh hope for India’s upcoming young athletes. From a pre-teen chess player to an early teen cricketer, we take a look at who can make their mark in the coming years. The quiet state of Indian badminton in the south – Tamil Nadu – with its self-effacing players, could start roaring this season with Rithvik Sanjeevi Satish Kumar picking some clutch wins at the end of 2024. But the hidden talent that could see some breakthrough results in coming months is Coimbatore teen Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj, a rally player who’s switched gears and is learning to let it rip. She is 5 ‘6 ” at age 17, with a natural inclination to keep the rally going, but blessed with a good punch from the back-court. Encouraged by her father to start out in the sport at 9, she made the move to Hyderabad pretty early, with her mom accompanying her. It was a tough two years as Covid struck within weeks of …