 "Kidambi Srikanth, badminton")
Michael Atherton and Glenn McGrath. Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson. And now, Son Wan Ho and Kidambi Srikanth. The frequency of occurrences of torment in the badminton duel may not match that of the above-mentioned cricket engagements yet, but for now, Son is Srikanth’s bunny.
On Thursday, Srikanth defeated Son for the second time in less than a week, outlasting the world no 1 in a compelling 15-21, 21-13, 21-13 comeback at the Australian Super Series Open. This past Saturday, Srikanth had defeated the Korean in the semifinals of the Indonesia Open, eventually going on to win the title by overcoming Japan’s Kazumasa Sakai in a
slightly soporific final.
Once encumbered by a lackadaisical attitude and poor eating habits, the 24-year-old from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh has made rapid strides in the sport, famously slaying China’s Lin Dan — unarguably the finest-ever to roam the 20x44 feet precincts of a badminton court — three years ago.
There are reasons why Pullela Gopichand, now chief national coach, decided to invest in Srikanth following his double at the national junior championships in Pune in 2011. Despite a slight frame, Srikanth has always shown an abundant appetite for a fight — a sense of pluck that only soars during the intensity of battle and was on full display against Son in both Jakarta and Sydney.
But his sometimes all-out attacking style also lends itself to potential mishaps — a reasonable justification for the furiously oscillating nature of his ranking. Srikanth is currently ranked 11th; he experienced the seraphic high of being the third-best player in the world only two years ago. Gopichand understands the perils of such recklessness all too well. And perhaps that’s why Srikanth has been working on mellowing down in the past few months. Against Sakai, Srikanth controlled the tempo consummately, never letting his ascendancy fade, something he has been guilty of in the past. Clearly, Gopichand is focused on moulding a better-rounded, measured player.
Srikanth’s recent showings also facilely encapsulate the charge of India’s men’s badminton brigade. Over the years, the success of Indian badminton has mostly been fuelled by the female duo of P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal. Back-to-back Olympic medals seem to prudently back that theory. But performances from their male counterparts — India now has four of them in the world’s top 25 — point to a bright, welcome trend: the men, too, can take on the best in the world.
Srikanth’s season-best before his win in Indonesia was a finals appearance at the Singapore Open in April. In the summit clash, he was thwarted by the marvellously talented Sai Praneeth — the 24-year-old Hyderabadi triumphing in three fixating games. The two are scheduled to collide again in the quarterfinals in Sydney later this week. Praneeth, in fact, followed up his win in Singapore with another sweeping title victory at the Thailand Open earlier this month.
Another 24-year-old, the Kerala-born H S Prannoy, stunned two former world number ones, Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long, over the course of two successive days in Jakarta, eventually losing to Sakai in the semi-final. While true greatness arrives only in the form of world titles and Olympic medals, Indian men shining at important events is the perhaps the starting point to that august status. For that to really happen, however, consistency is pivotal.
Given that India doesn’t quite have a lustrous history in men’s badminton, any form constancy is encouraging. But to take the next leap, the Indian men’s players’ major tournament record will have to drastically improve; routine implosions against the top guys will have to become a thing of the past. Srikanth, for instance, after so impressively outmanoeuvring Lin in his own den in 2014, crumbled when the two met in the quarterfinals at the Rio Olympics. He has never beaten Lee or Chen, either. Prannoy, on the other hand, has similarly struggled against the Danish world number 5, Jan Jørgensen.
The exploits of Ajay Jayaram, the other shuttler who forms the Indian top-25 quartet, are yet to spiral into something sensational. For any of them to be considered a genuine powerhouse in the world game, all that has to change.
The exploits of Ajay Jayaram, the other shuttler who forms the Indian top-25 quartet, are yet to spiral into something sensational. For any of them to be considered a genuine powerhouse in the world game, all that has to change.
With Gopichand in charge and Srikanth at the forefront, hopefully, the Indian men will already be at that lofty level by the time the Tokyo Games come around.
