There is palpable excitement around the corner. Between August 10-16, it will be show time at the GMC Balayogi SAAP Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad with the World Championship, badminton’s biggest extravaganza, holding court. This is the first time India will host the seven-star tournament in which the leading gladiators of badminton fight for top honours.
India on the rise
Adding to the excitement is India’s newfound confidence. Indian players are no longer pretenders but serious challengers who pose a threat to major badminton powers like China, Indonesia, Denmark, Malaysia and Korea. Although there is some way to go before India can claim to be a dominant force, Indian shuttlers are closing the gap fast. The World Championship will provide an opportunity to Indian players to showcase their talent on the big stage. Can our shuttlers rise to the occasion and thereby provide a boost to the growth of the sport in the country? “That is possible through discipline and long-term vision. Indian badminton is on the right track,’’ says chief national coach Pullela Gopi Chand.
The rise of Saina Nehwal in women’s singles, the performances of the world No 7 mixed doubles pair of V Diju and Jwala Gutta, the recent grand prix doubles title won by Sanave Thomas and Rupesh Kumar, and occasional noteworthy shows by Chetan Anand and Arvind Bhat have brought the belief that Indian players can match the best.
India’s performance in the Sudirman Cup, the world team championship, held in China recently, wherein the team was promoted from Group 3 to Group 2 for the first time, is indicative of the country’s growing stature in the world of badminton.
The best performance by an Indian at the last World Championship — at Kuala Lumpur in 2007 — came from Anup Sridhar, who upset Taufiq Hidayat. While that was a memorable win, Anup, unfortunately, has not qualified for this edition of the World Championship.
The Saina factor
Nineteen-year-old Saina, ranked 6th in the world, is India’s best bet at the World Championship given her recent feat of beating world No 2 and second seed Lin Wang in the Indonesia Super Series. Having recovered from a recent bout of chickenpox, Saina is confident about her chances but it is a tough field that she will face — top seed Zhou Mi, Lin Wang, fourth seed Yihan Wang, third seed Tine Rasmussen and fifth seed Xingfang Xie.
At the same time, these players are aware of Saina’s constant improvement and the fact that she enjoys the advantage of playing on home turf.
Not since the time of All England champions Prakash Padukone and Gopi Chand has Indian badminton had a player who has commanded such attention. Will the chickenpox setback affect Saina’s prospects at the World Championship?
“It has upset our calculations. She has lost valuable hours of practice. Such things are important in the run-up to such a big tournament. But Saina is a fighter and has the grit to fight back from tough situations,’’ says Gopi.
Tough competition
Providing the fireworks at the World Championship will be two-time world champion and Beijing Olympic gold medallist Lin Dan, top seed Chong Wei Lee, second seed Chen Jin, third seed Peter Gade and 2005 world champion Taufiq Hidayat.
Former chief coach Syed Mohammad Arif expects a Lin Dan-Chong Wei Lee clash in the men’s singles final. “They are the pre-tournament favourites; it will be a classic contest. However, it seems there will be an open contest in the women’s singles,” says Arif.
Predicting winners at the World Championship is difficult to say the least. According to former chief national coach U Vimal Kumar, the 21-points system facilitates unexpected results. “Chinese and Indonesian players still dominate the scene, but matches are increasingly being thrown open because of the 21-points point system. Indian players can make an impression by being aggressive,’’ says Vimal.
High on confidence
Chetan Anand, seeded 15th, is confident of putting up a good show at the World Championship. “There will be good crowd support and if Indian players perform to their potential, they can go far in the tournament. Indians have been producing good results in recent times,’’ says Chetan.
Vimal feels that consistency holds the key. “The good part is that the Indian players of today have adequate exposure to international tournaments — they cannot complain in this regard. At the same time, winning in modern-day badminton is all about fitness and consistency, elaborates Vimal. Arif, on his part, maintains that everything depends on how well Indian players capitalise on opportunities. “I’m not entirely happy with the way they are performing. I feel that Indian players need to be more consistent. The World Championship will, in a way, help many Indian players learn more about the art of winning,’’ says Arif.
das@epmltd.com