Shuttle queens Saina and Sindhu face tough task at Incheon
What will happen with the Indians in Incheon on the badminton courts cannot be predicted, but you can be sure this racquet sport is now at an all time high.
The rise of Indian badminton on the global stage has been phenomenal. For a country which has produced All England champions like Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand, it is the women who now make news.
Flying out of New Delhi's IGI airport on Monday night, the badminton squad was busy rushing through the last minute formalities and was virtually unnoticed. Once it arrived in Incheon on Tuesday after a long flight via Singapore, it was time to check into the Games Village so that the players could get rid of jetlag as quickly as possible.
Mail Today caught up for a freewheeling chat with Gopichand. Dressed in a tracksuit, Gopi looked as fit as any of the players from his academy in Hyderabad, who have been doing very well in recent months. The latest addition to the list is H.S. Prannoy who won the Indonesian Masters title on Sunday.
Gopi has been very careful with his words to the media after 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal decided to shift base to Bangalore. Like in his playing days, Gopi believes more in action on the court, where he has shaped the careers of so many players. Even though rising star P.V. Sindhu has won two back-toback bronze medals at the world championship, Gopi is not willing to hazard a guess about the Indian medal prospects in Incheon.
"When I submitted my report to the Sports Authority of India and the sports ministry, I made it clear that winning a medal at the Asian Games will not be easy. They felt that as badminton has done so well in a whole gamut of competitions, the players deserved to go to Incheon," said Gopi.
This is the most realistic assessment the chief badminton coach could have made, as in the last edition in Guangzhou, Saina had crashed out in the quarter-finals.
To be sure, each time at the Majors, be it the All England or the world championship, Saina has found it tough to be at her best. Gopi cautiously avoided talking about his famous ward even as he was all praise for the depth in Indian badminton. He is even happier that regional centres will be coming up and that will provide a chance for India to produce more champions. In his view, broad-basing badminton has worked very well and results are there to see.
As Gopi and coach Madhumita Bisht were waiting to board the flight, Saina and new coach Vimal Kumar were spotted together. The soft-spoken Vimal talked about the challenge at the Asian Games for his superstar ward.
"It has been a good fortnight with Saina in Bangalore and a change always helps," Vimal told Mail Today.
Having worked with Gopichand when he was the hot star of Indian badminton, Vimal believes there is no harm in changing coaches. "There are times when a player needs a change in environment. Saina has been training hard," he said.
Each sport has its share of rivalries and the one between Saina and Sindhu is turning out to be very fascinating for the knowledgeable and the discerning. What will happen with the Indians in Incheon on the badminton courts cannot be predicted, but you can be sure this racquet sport is now at an all time high.