GUWAHATI: In June, Ajay Jayaram was sitting pretty at No 13 in the BWF world rankings, his career-best mark.In fact, he was the best-ranked Indian at the time. Viktor Axelsen, currently World No 1, was one of his noteworthy scalps during that period. After years of struggle with mixed returns, optimism was sky high then as Jayaram looked to build on the same and break into the top-10.But things started getting tough for him as he could not quite keep up with the rigours of the sport. Jayaram’s ranking took a hit, dropping to No 38. Having stayed away from the court after the World Championships in August, the 30-year-old said that the entire period had been mentally taxing.
“In 2014, I was out for six months after a surgery. It was different then. I knew when I would be back. This year, however, it has been quite rough for me. I have been having issues with my knee and after the World Championships, I injured my hamstring. So, it has been much more mentally challenging. I have had trouble figuring out when I can start playing. For now, I won’t say that I’m 100 per cent, but I’m hoping that as I progress, my leg holds up,” the Chennai-born shuttler, who is now based in Mumbai, said.
Skipper of the North Eastern Warriors in the ongoing PBL 3, the two-time Dutch Open champ (2014 and 2015) could not quite bring his A-game in his comeback match as he fell to Hyderabad Hunters’ Lee Hyun-il.Despite the setback, Jayaram had his share of moments and played some fine shots that had his opponent in trouble. But in the end, Hyun-il was too sharp with some superhuman returns; moments which may fetch plenty of views if they were to be put up on YouTube.
Nevertheless, Jayaram chose to focus on the positives. “I have mixed feelings about the way I played. Given that I was out for some time, I did not get much time to train. My speed on court was quite decent. But my match temperament, getting back in the zone, seems to be lacking. Hopefully with more matches, I will get that back soon,” he assessed.
With a busy 2018 knocking on his door, Jayaram is looking to be pragmatic and wants to make an impression in Superseries events. “At this stage, I have to be wary about what events to participate. I have to see how much gap I give between tournaments. So, I will have to pick and choose. I definitely want to do well in Superseries events and climb up the rankings again.”Indian shuttlers, especially in the singles department, has been making waves in recent times. It won’t be a surprise if Jayaram joins the winning club in the days to come.
Sameer win helps Rockets triumph
GUWAHATI:Mumbai Rockets easily won their tie against Delhi Dashers 4-1 in the Premier Badminton League, here on Monday.Sameer Verma was the star for the Rockets as he outplayed the Dashers Trump player Wong Wing Ki Vincent 15-11,15-11 in a relatively easy encounter.
anmol@newindianexpress.com