NAGPUR: PV Sindhu vs Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth vs HS Prannoy. The line-up is not that of a Superseries final. Those are the summit clashes of the Senior National Badminton Championship.
For a long time, star shuttlers had shied away from senior nationals due to a lack of basic facilities like good accommodation and playing conditions. The minuscule prize money was also one of the impediments.
With all that getting altered for good at the nationals underway in Nagpur, major stars decided to take part. However, the question that arises now is if they will show the same interest every year. Express asked a few of the stars about the likelihood of their return. Most of them were positive about playing every year. However, scheduling remains an issue.
The poster boy of Indian badminton, Kidambi Srikanth, who has had a tremendous year, said that he will be back next year if the tournament is scheduled better.
“I would love to participate in the nationals every year if the scheduling is a little better. Not immediately before or after big tournaments like Superseries events,” the new World No 2 said. It must be noted that this year’s edition is sandwiched between two Superseries events.
Though the big names were granted a direct pass to pre-quarters before the beginning of the championship, they had to play two matches in a single day to proceed to the semis. Asked about his experience at the nationals, Parupalli Kashyap, who was humbled by World No 11 HS Prannoy in the quarters, said that to make the tournament better, a day or two should be added to it.
“On the whole, the facilities were really good. This was probably the best nationals I have ever played. If a day or two could be added, it would be better for shuttlers. I know the crowds come in to see ‘icon’ players, so the schedule was probably prepared in a way that the spectators get to see as many top stars as possible. However, I have no complaints as the organisers did a good job,” Kashyap said.
Prannoy, who entered his maiden national final after outwitting Subhankar Dey, said that the players were trained to play two matches a day.
“We train and prepare ourselves in a way that helps us play for long hours. So, playing two matches would not be a problem,” Prannoy noted.
Asked whether he would play the nationals in the future, he said: “All of us will participate if facilities are as good as it is this year. The last edition in Bihar was horrible.”
Doubles ace Ashwini Ponnappa too reiterated that view and cited the latest edition as an exception when it came facilities.
Scare for Sindhu
Ruthvika Shivani almost caused the upset of the meet when she blazed past PV Sindhu in the first game of the semifinal. But the World No 2 dominated the next two to reach the final.
Women’s semis: Saina Nehwal bt Aruna Prabhudesai 21-11, 21-10, PV Sindhu bt Ruthvika Shivani G 17-21, 21-15, 21-11; Men’s: Kidambi Srikanth bt Lakshya Sen 21-16, 21-18, HS Prannoy bt Subhankar Dey 21-14, 21-17.
vishal@newindianexpress.com