Saina Nehwal, currently ranked 10th in the world badminton rankings, has the confidence and the game to announce that she aims to be No 1 player in the sport. “I have always dreamt of becoming world No 1. I have been working very hard to fulfil my dream. If all goes well, I will aim to reach the top ranking by 2010,” said the 18-year-old recently.
It is not often that an Indian is within striking distance of the top spot in badminton. The last time an Indian had a major title to his name was in 2001, when Pullela Gopichand won the All England singles title. And the last Indian name to be a world-beating force was Prakash Padukone, winner of the Commonwealth Games gold medal in 1979, the All England title in 1980 and the World Cup in 1981.
No Indian woman has come anywhere close to achieving what Saina has and she has the potential to realise her dream of becoming world No 1. But Saina is not the only reason for Indian badminton to feel optimistic.
boom time round the corner
As many as five Indians — Chetan Anand (13th), Arvind Bhat (27th), Anup Sridhar (37th), Anand Pawar (44th) and P Kashyap (47th) — figure in the top 50 of the men’s singles rankings. Aditi Mutatkar occupies a creditable 38th position in the women’s singles. Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas are ranked 25th in the men’s doubles. Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurian are ranked 23rd in the women’s doubles. V Diju and Jwala Gutta occupy 17th spot in the world mixed doubles rankings.
Indian badminton is poised to take off in a big way. And with Hyderabad set to host the World Badminton Championships in August this year, the biggest event in the game can only bring about a positive, cascading impact in the host country.
The best exponents of the game — from China, Indonesia, Denmark, Sweden, Korea and England — have never descended on Indian soil together. Television coverage of their individual and collective brilliance is bound to generate more interest in badminton in India. Moreover, the host of a major sporting event, more often than not, picks up a medal. It would be reasonable to expect India to carry on the tradition.
chance for indians to shine
“India has never hosted the World Badminton Championships and the event will help develop the sport in India. Youngsters will have the opportunity to witness the best in the game in action and that will go a long in popularising badminton,” says Prakash.
On India’s chances in the mega event, Prakash is upbeat. “Saina has the ability to do well and could even go the distance. In the men’s section, we have Chetan Anand, Arvind Bhat and Anup Sridhar. If any of them manages to reach the semis or even quarters, it will be quite an achievement. We can expect good results in doubles and mixed doubles too as Diju and Jwala have been doing well in recent times. Playing at home, our players have the opportunity to shine in familiar conditions. The World Championships could not have come at a better time for us,” says Prakash.
Former player and national coach Vimal Kumar is hopeful that Saina will win the world title. “My money is on her to win. Both Saina and Chetan will be playing in their home town, Hyderabad, and thus have a huge advantage. Also, both have been doing rather well and I won’t be surprised if they upset a few higher-ranked players,” says Vimal.
Anup Sridhar, one among the Indians who have it in them to beat the best in the business, had risen to No 25 in the rankings by the end of November 2007. An ankle injury forced him out of the circuit for a long spell, but he is back to training now. “My focus is on competitive matches and I will take it one tournament at a time,” he informs. While the names of the Indians who qualify for the World Championships will not be clear till the end of April, the rankings, as they stand today, indicate that Saina, Aditi, Chetan and Arvind should make the cut. “These players play abroad and this, apart from helping improve their rankings, would have boosted their confidence,” says Vimal. A badminton boom is what is anticipated.