A long wait ends for PV Sindhu and India at Badminton World Championships

When  Nadia Comaneci reco­rded a perfect 10 in artistic gymnastics at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, the World was smitten by an unprecedented occurrence.
India's Pusarla V. Sindhu returns a shuttlecock to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara during their women's singles final match at the BWF Badminton World Championships in Basel, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019.  | AP
India's Pusarla V. Sindhu returns a shuttlecock to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara during their women's singles final match at the BWF Badminton World Championships in Basel, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019. | AP

HYDERABAD: When Nadia Comaneci reco­rded a perfect 10 in artistic gymnastics at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, the World was smitten by an unprecedented occurrence.

Something similar happened at Basel on Sunday.

Displaying almost an error-free game, PV Sindhu bulldozed Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-7, 21-7 to become the first Indian to clinch a gold at the World Championships. 

It was perfect revenge for the 24-year-old. In 2017, the same opponent had crushed her dreams by playing a marathon 110-minute encounter in her favour. Mentor Pullela Gopichand was on the sidelines with her current coach Kim Ji Hyun for the duration of the tournament. While the South Korean seemed to be very passionate and animated in her approach to guiding the lanky shuttler, Gopichand displayed his usual serenity. 

Speaking to this newspaper, the chief national coach said that he did expect a victory in the final from her illustrious ward.

“It is a great win. Going into the final, I had a hunch that it would be a clean and comfortable victory. The way she played today (Sunday) was really fantastic. She did not give Okuhara any chance to catch up to her. It is refreshing to see her dominate from the beginning, and till the end without any hiccups. I am really very happy,” Gopichand told this daily from Basel. 

Reflecting on how much this win and B Sai Praneeth’s bronze mean to the whole fraternity, the former All England Championships winner said: “In the last few years, we have won many bronze and silvers through Saina (Nehwal) and Sindhu. To complete that with gold was important. And also, Sai Praneeth’s bronze medal is very important for men’s singles. Every year, we would think that we have a chance, but we ended up with no medal for 36 years. It is great to realise that we have actually changed that. So, that medal is special as well.”

There are some tactical ch­a­nges behind the uber-dominant display from Sindhu. Mohammed Siyadat Ullah is one of the national singles coaches at Gopichand Academy and travels abroad frequently with the India contingent. He has observed Sindhu’s game from the first time she stepped foot into the academy.

“She was not as much aggressive as she used to be. She used rallies and finished things off with sm­a­shes. That strategy worked in her favour. And the fact she has made a habit of taking early leads also gave her much-ne­eded confidence,” he sa­id. 

The victory left Dronacharya Awardee U Vimal Kumar bewildered.

“She was completely dominant. I did not expect this kind of dominance from her. The conditions are sl­ow in Basel, something that is conducive for Okuhara. I thought it would be a tough match, but Sindhu did not let her come under the shuttle. She was moving really well, taking the shuttle early, and committed almost no errors. Her pace was way too much to handle for the Japanese. She could not cope with it." 

“Whatever Okuhara could score, most of it was due to errors from Sindhu. Okuhara could not earn points on her own. The most important thi­ng was her approach to the net. It was really quick. Even from the back of the court, she played really good variations. Good clearance from the back and even better half smash. Overall, she was really good in all the departments. You cannot complain,” Vimal said.

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