The Indian doubles pair of Jwala Gutta/V Diju and Jwala/Ashwini Ponnappa were a big hit, bringing huge cheer to the Indian fans in recent times. Unfortunately, they parted ways, giving way to new combinations at the upcoming World Championship at China.
Ashwini Ponnappa/Pradnya Gadre, Aparna Balan/Sikki Reddy, Ashwini Ponnappa/K Tarun, Aparna Balan/Arun Vishnu and K Tarun/Arun Vishnu will forge the alliances, hopefully yielding success.
“Though Saina is obviously our best bet at the World Championship, this will be the first time that India would have two representatives in each of the five categories at the world championship and that is proof of how well our players are performing at the international circuit,” said Badminton Association of India president Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta. Chief coach Pullela Gopichand is happy with these combinations. “I do expect a good performance in the doubles. World Championship is not a full length draw. If we have a couple of easy matches, one can reach the semifinals,’’ he said.
India have sweet memories of the 2011 worlds at Wembley. India’s women’s doubles duo of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa had ended the country’s 28-year-old medal drought there by winning the bronze medal.
This time around, Ponnappa will be the leader of the doubles group. “It is good and nice to be the top doubles player of the country. The good thing is that a lot of young pairs are coming,’’ she said.
For Ponnappa and Pradnya it will be their first big major tournament together. “The first round matches are always crucial. We have to play well. We have been gelling very well and I think it is matter of time before we pull up big wins. Pradnya is good at the net,’’ said Ponnappa. For the record, Pradnya was bought for a higher price than Ponnappa at the Indian Badminton League.
Ponnappa pairs up with K Tarun in the mixed doubles event. The latter is very happy that his partner Ashwini has turned out into an all-round player. “She has a deadly smash and she is simply too good at the back court. But in the past few months, she has improved her game at the net also. She is moving fast on the court,’’ said 23-year-old Tarun. They are ranked 30th in the world
Tarun said he and Ponnappa have had some good results in recent times. “We need to be very consistent to move up in our rankings. We have a good chance,’’ said Tarun. His partner in the men’s doubles will be Arun Vishnu. This will be their second appearance as they had taken part in the Hyderabad Worlds in 2010.
The other men’s doubles pair of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Jerry Chopda withdrew in the last minute.
For Sikki Reddy, it will be her maiden appearance in World Championship. It will be a huge moment for Sikki and Aparna Balan. Sikki, who started off as a singles player and became a doubles specialist after a knee injury, said there is more to the Jwala-Ashwini story. “We have been working hard. I think it is more about producing results. The doubles too needs the attention in our country,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, Balan said it is an advantage to a left-handed player like Sikki. Balan is pairing with Arun Vishnu in the mixed doubles. “It is important how we start the tournament,’’ said Balan. They play Liao Min Chun/Chen Hsiao Huan (Chinese Taipei) in the first round.