Happy that we pulled off wins from difficult situations: Gopi

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : May 22 2014 | 11:29 PM IST
India's chief coach Pullela Gopichand today said he is happy that his wards, including Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, have been able to pull off matches from difficult situations in the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals here today.
"I am happy that both Saina and Sindhu and also Jwala and Ashwini have the ability to get deep and pull it off, which is something I am happy about. Yesterday, also Guru's match, it went deep and I am happy about it," Gopichand told reporters.
Saina notched up a hard-fought victory against world no four Ratchanok Inthanon yesterday. She was also lagging in the first game today against Lindaweni Fanetri but pulled off the match in the end.
Sindhu too had to play out of her skin to prevail 21-16 10-21 25-23 over Bellaetrix Manuputty.
Asked about Sindhu's match, Gopichand said she was under pressure.
"If you ask Sindhu to play safe, then she will be very defensive. That is the nature of her game. She will have to be aggressive with her height and she will have to keep her streak going," he said.
"After every five to seven strokes, she was getting ones to hit, so she was desperate to finish off the game. There was pressure on her and her opponent played a very cleaver game.
"Sindhu was stretched till the end, there was nothing happnening in the rally, Manupatty played tactically a very good game. Another day, Sindhu would run though the match but this are high pressure matches and it is easy to say it but on court you tend to freeze."
Asked about Jwala and Ashwini, who beat world No 9 pair of Polii Greysia and Nitya Krishinda Maheswari 21-18 21-18 to seal the tie for India, Goichand said he was confident about their chances.
"I was more confident that Jwala and Ashwini will win, not in straight games but their opponent lift a lot and these shuttles are not conducive for that. They are very defensive. It is difficult to defend when you are 0-2 down."
Asked about Japan, Gopichand said: "Japan have same kind of game like Indonesia. They strive on defence, Mitani will also strives on her defence. I think the match against Takahashi will be the key.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 22 2014 | 11:29 PM IST

Next Story