CHENNAI: The historic Thomas Cup sojourn was a priceless one for the Indian shuttlers, who returned as heroes after coming back as champions last month. For rising shuttlers, Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun, the winning feeling could not have come sooner. The duo has been on a steady rise and trying to find their feet in the doubles landscape, a category which was once considered to be an afterthought in the country due to a dearth of firepower.
The young Indian pair, who were taking part in the coveted event for just the second time in their career, played two matches and, more importantly, learnt about the importance of team spirit in an environment that can get the better of even the best. "In our team, there were 3-4 seniors like Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy. They helped us a lot, telling us what we have to do and to prepare for the team events. So it was a new thing, we were like a family. We were supporting each other from the start. It was a very positive atmosphere," Dhruv recalled when asked about his experience.
That could rub off on the youngsters, who have asked tough questions to some of the elite players in recent times, thereby offering suggestions that they have the potential to join the ranks. Earlier this year, Arjun and Dhruv managed to win a game against the Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan (World No 3) during the All England Championships. Even though they lost the match 21-15, 12-21, 18-21, it was a step in the right direction.
"In the past six months or so, we have played top-10 players on a regular basis. We have lost close matches. We think we are very close, but I think we need more experience. We have to learn to cope during crucial situations of the match and we are working on it right now," the 22-year-old said.
Under Indian doubles coach, Mathias Boe, and the rest of the national coaches, Dhruv said that they are looking to address the gap and rise to another level. "Earlier, we were lacking in basic stuff like serving and receiving. We never gave that aspect of the game much thought. He (Mathias) works on that a lot. He has focussed on that aspect, how to keep control of the shuttle, how to make the game easy and you just don't have to do so much... pressurise yourself so much during the game in the process. He wants us to keep it simple and that has made it easy for everyone right now," Dhruv revealed.
It was in 2019 that Dhruv joined hands with his current partner Arjun. It was former India doubles coach, Flandy Limpele, who made the two players unite. "He's three years elder to me. He has been my senior since the beginning. We are going well. Being a senior, he keeps on telling me how to make things happen on and off the court. We share a good equation."
Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have lifted the profile of the doubles category in the country with some headline-grabbing performances over the years. The women's doubles players have also been on the up with Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand announcing themselves during the All England Open earlier this year. Dhruv is happy to see the talent pool grow but conceded that it will take some time before Indians climb the podium on a regular basis. "We have improved leaps and bounds. If you check the rankings, we have six pairs (4 men, 2 women) in the top 50. The women's doubles players are also improving massively. It will take some time to get to the top but Indian doubles will rise further soon."
Dhruv and Arjun's immediate test is the Indonesia Open, which is due to be held in Jakarta from June 14 to 19. Scheduled to travel on Saturday, Dhruv is hopeful of putting up a strong show. "Our target is to go there and win. We are also eyeing the World Championships in Japan and keen on putting up a strong show then," he said.