HYDERABAD: India might have sent their largest ever contingent (22) to the badminton Worlds but only a few may have the opportunity of returning with a medal. Chief among those aspirants are PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, two players more than capable of rising to the occasion.
Srikanth, who has been handed a tough draw, is expected to face Korea’s World No 1 Son Wan-Ho in the quarterfinals. Though Srikanth beat him in back-to-back tournaments in Indonesia and Australia, Son is one of the favourites as his ranking suggests. If the classy Srikanth, who has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in 2017, comes through the challenge, he could potentially run into Lin Dan in the last four.
As for Sindhu, the road to glory looks no less easy. Handed a bye in the first round, the Hyderabadi could run into Chinese Sun Yu in what could be a mouthwatering clash. The latter enjoys a 4-3 record against the Indian, and Sindhu had lost her previous match against her in the Dubai World Superseries Final.
Their former coach Md. Siyadath Ullah at the Pullella Gopichand academy believes that past records and form won’t really matter at the Worlds. “Srikanth has a tough draw. But now, players are wary of his attacking game. He is mentally very strong. He has beaten Son Wan-Ho twice in succession, so he must be very confident. But he has to be wary of the Korean’s defensive game. As far as Lin Dan is concerned, there is a reason why he is still the very best in the business. He changes his game every tournament, so it is difficult to tackle him. Srikanth will have to play his natural game against him.
“For Sindhu, she has won medals at the World Championship twice. So she has the nous to deliver. This time round Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu-Ying is not here, which will make a difference to her chances. She might play Sun Yu in quarters, which will pose a big challenge. But I expect her to come out winner in the match,” Siyadath Ullah told Express. One thing that the Indians will have to do is adapt quickly to the conditions. If they are successful in doing that, they will be unstoppable.
madhav@newindianexpress.com