PV Sindhu clinching her fist and accompanying it with as passionate a 'come on' as you'll ever see from an Indian athlete remains one of the takeaway images from the Rio Olympics for Indian fans.
Her aggression was deemed instrumental, by pundits and fellow professionals alike, in her winning key moments in big matches en route to her historic silver medal at the Games.
Speaking exclusively to ESPN in Mumbai, Sindhu and her coach Pullela Gopichand, two of the quietest people you'd know off the court, tried to explain how a sense of 'controlled aggression' had to be instilled in the badminton star in order to develop a 'killer instinct'.
"There was this incident when he (Gopichand) made me stand in between the eight courts at the academy and he just said 'Shout'," says Sindhu. "Everybody was just staring at me. And I'm just standing there and he says 'shout'. And then I started crying because he yelled at me and said 'unless and until you shout, I'm not going to let you play.
So everyone kept looking at me and that became quite an embarrassing moment, but from there I feel my aggression went high and it kept going."
Gopichand highlights the importance of understanding the use of 'smart and calculated aggression' and how it helps an athlete in pressure situations.
"Well, I think on the big stage it is important to be aggressive when you need to be aggressive. But it needs to be smart enough to still be aware of what is happening around, it's not blind aggression or anger which goes in but it's the kind of aggression which is smart, which is calculated and which is as per plan.
And I think somewhere down the line when you need that killer instinct to close down matches, it's important to be assertive and aggressive. It's part of sport, we all need to do it, pushed against the wall, we push to fight back and I think we should get that thing across and it at times it should be visible as well," said Gopichand.
Sindhu's life since returning from Rio has been about shuttling from one function to another in her honour. At just 21, she's gone about collecting national awards, government-allotted land, approximately Rs. 14 crore (USD 2.1 Million) in prize money and a BMW among other things, in less than a fortnight.
While Sindhu admits that 'life has changed' and that responsibilities are high from now given all eyes will be on her when she plays, Gopichand believes that the overnight stardom will have little bearing on the road ahead.
"From an outside perspective things might change, but for us it's important to stay connected," he said. "The reality is she needs to get back and become stronger in every area of her game. She's young, she's 21, and already has 2 world championships. Commonwealth, Asian Games and an Olympic medal to her credit. So she has a huge potential, and hopefully when we look at her career in 8 years' time, we should see many more medals and titles."
Sindhu credits her coach and the support of her family for her success.
"No matter what you achieve in life, don't ever forget your coach and what they've sacrificed for you. My father also tells me no matter how high you go, you always have to be down to earth."
Gopichand also acknowledged the contribution of Sindhu's father, Ramanna, a former captain of the Indian national volleyball team himself, who accompanied Sindhu daily for several months, riding her twice a day on a scooter to his academy in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, nearly 30 KMs from Sindhu's residence.
"I must thank Ramanna, he was there with Sindhu for training everyday at 4 am, picking up shuttle cocks that I kept smashing when we were trying to work on a particular shot," Gopi said.
Former India Hockey Captain Viren Rasquinha, who is the CEO of Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), the NGO which has sponsored Sindhu since she was 15, said that "her parents are an example for parents of athletes across India."
OGQ was also instrumental in ensuring Sindhu's parents and coaching staff could travel with her for major events, including the Rio Olympics. "I know as a sportsman how important it is at times to have coaches, mentors, guides and even family at a major tournament, it's certainly something we prioritize and we're delighted it's made such a difference." said Rasquinha.
In spite of the extended celebration surrounding Sindhu's win, both player and coach have already retuned to normalizing life. While partial training has begun, Sindhu admits she went on a spree of eating junk-food and ice-creams since her return, but said that it's time now to get back to work.
"The Olympics is once in four years so she has every reason to celebrate. But I think it's important now to get back quickly and focus on the tournaments ahead," said Gopichand.