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If we play well, we could win a medal: Ashwini Ponnappa

Despite the logistical nightmare, the Karnataka shuttler was pleased with her preparations for the Worlds, though she does not see a smooth ride there

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Ashwini Ponnappa
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As if her tough women's doubles draw was not enough reason to worry, India's top doubles shuttler, Ashwini Ponnappa, had to endure some more anxious moments last week. It was only on Thursday (August 17) that she and her women's doubles partner Sikki Reddy got their passports in hand to ensure their participation in the BWF World Championships starting in Glasgow on Monday.

While a majority of the Indian contingent left for Glasgow from Hyderabad and Bengaluru on Thursday night, Ashwini and Sikki had to depart on Friday. The delay in the arrival of the passports was because of their late withdrawal from the New Zealand Open in the first week of this month.

Despite the logistical nightmare, the Karnataka shuttler was pleased with her preparations for the Worlds, though she does not see a smooth ride there.

While Ashwini will open her women's doubles campaign with Sikki against the Indonesia-Malaysia pair of Ririn Amelia and Anna Ching Yik Cheong, the pair faces the prospect of running into world No. 2 Denmark pair of Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen.

Talking to DNA before her departure for Glasgow, the 27-year-old Ashwini said: "Our draw is a tough one. We have some tough opponents. Having said that, it is the World Championships. If you are in the right zone, the mindset is entirely different. If we play really well, anything can happen. We could even win a medal.

"It just depends on how your game goes that day. You are not playing the beginners in the Worlds. You are playing the world's best players. We have a tricky first round and in the second, we run into the world No. 2 pair. It's not an easy draw but you need to go through every hurdle.

"For me, honestly, the most important thing is to go there and give my best, just play really well both in women's doubles and mixed doubles," added Ashwini.

Ashwini changed partners from Jwala Gutta to Sikki after Rio Olympics last year. It was also not long ago since she started to partner Sumeeth Reddy in mixed doubles.

"We are still trying to figure out our roles," Ashwini said. "Both of us (Sikki and Ashwini) move quite a bit. She has been a back court player. Sikki is a very good mover, good at the net and a gutsy, strong player. We still have to figure out how we could play as a pair.

"With Sumeeth, we have not played conventional mixed doubles players. The two of us have never been focussed on mixed doubles in the past. Every time we play in any tournament, we have had pretty good results considering the fact that we have been playing together for a couple of months," she added.

Ashwini has happy memories of the Worlds. She, along with Jwala, were the first Indian women to win a medal at the World Championships – bronze in London in 2011.

Despite their feat, the doubles scenario in Indian badminton is not encouraging, felt a hurt Ashwini.

"At the grassroots, doubles is not encouraged. It has a long way to go. Most of us are former singles players taking to doubles. Not many take doubles at a very young age.

"When I go to tournaments that is encouraging youngsters to take up badminton, it doesn't have doubles. There you have the answer. Singles is the most fielded event in the country. If you have singles and doubles, that is fair enough. If it is not, then how do you expect youngsters to start performing well in international circuit when you start off as a singles player? See how much importance singles is given and it is only later in life that you are encouraged to take up doubles. Someone needs to play doubles, right?" she said.

At the same time, Ashwini said the attention given to doubles at the national level has improved.

"It has changed gamewise in the senior circuit. I'm glad we have a doubles specialist coach. It's important to have someone who is very well versed in doubles. It is positive. It is important that we have a specialised coach. We do have physios, masseurs taking care of our needs. That is important," she said.

Asked if the country needed more doubles victories for youngsters to take up this discipline, Ashwini said: "Jwala and I have had some very good victories in the past, and they were all firsts. We were the first ones to win a medal at the Worlds and no other Indian (woman) has won a medal before that. After we won, Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu won their World Championship medals. I don't think that changed any for doubles.

"The 2010 Commonwealth Games put us on the map as it was in India. It was a big event in our country, it had so many people watching the event. Hence, it (winning women's doubles gold with Jwala Gutta) made a huge impact. If not for the CWG being held in India, it would not have had that much of an impact," she added.

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