With the tension filled and Covid-hit 2021 finally over, can the Indian badminton players finally relax, get over their injuries, and start enjoying the game? It seems not. The calendar of 2022 is so heavy, full of big ticket events that they will again get no rest as the rush to play the events, to gather ranking points, will start anew.
There are two international events in India, which will be mandatory to participate in. The India Open in Delhi and the Syed Modi Memorial in Lucknow. The All England follows in early March, many BWF world tour events along with Thomas/Uber cups from May 8, Commonwealth Games from July 24, World Championship from August 21 and Asian Games from September 10.
Of course players cannot ignore the big prize money events like China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, French, Denmark, German opens, and the World Tour Finals, and more.
These are lot of events and the hectic schedule is bound to pose injuries and recovery issues for the shuttlers. The BAI think-tank has to be very careful about coming up with the right mix of participation and rest. The coaches panel group has also to factor in when to peak and when to take it easy. These are clinical decisions but have a great bearing on the performances of the players who have to shoulder the burden.
So considering all above lets see how 2022 may pan out for our players.
Aparna Popat, twice Olympian, nine-times continuous winner of national singles title, silver and bronze medals at CWG and who achieved a high rank of world number 16 at her prime, feels that a change is happening, in fact bound to happen in women singles.
She also feels that the performance of PV Sindhu in last few tournaments was an aberration and that the Indian ace is going to bounce back. “Olympics takes a lot out of you. She took a break after Tokyo to recuperate and relax.
She did not do badly in the last few tournaments. She did defeat Akane Yamaguchi, Pornpawee Chochuwong and took Ratnachok Intathon to three games. Now she will get time to train, build up her strength, build up her focus and get back her confidence,” Aparna said.
“After all she has been there. Sindhu knows what it takes to be a champion. And she is a big game player. Bigger the tournament, better she plays. She should be selective in the tournament she chooses. Not go hunting around for points, but go for big titles and the team games.
“So I feel the priority for her should be the All England, Uber Cup, World Championships, CWG, the Asian Games. I strongly believe she will make a winning comeback,” she added.
On Saina Nehwal, Aparna feels that Saina must take her time to get fit and then only venture into the events. “I think that we should not judge her. She has been such a great champion. She has been quite injury prone too. She will know when she is match fit and will take the correct decision.”
Aparna feels sorry for the next generation of players. “Tasneem Mir, Malvika Bansod, Aditi Bhatt, Gayatri Gopichand, Rutuporna Panda, Tanisha Crasto, Akurshi Kashyap, etc were robbed of crucial two years of training and match practice, due to the pandemic. The ages of 17, 18, 19 are most crucial in the life of a player and these girls lost out on that account. Now post 20, they are tentatively entering tournaments. My opinion is that this bunch should play as many tournaments as possible and build up their carrier in 2022, so that they become a force to reckon with in 2023.” Popat is optimistic about India’s chances in women’s singles.
But not so in men’s doubles as Legendary Leroy D’souza, winner of Asian Games bronze, seven nation championship titles explains. “I have been seeing a lot of Satwicksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty duo lately on TV. They have been playing well enough to take most top pairs to three games but not able to win tight matches. They played extremely well in Tokyo Olympics to defeat in league matches the pair who won the gold.”
After Tokyo, however, the two have had injuries and have had to pull out of certain events. But they are still contenders in any tournament they play.
“What galls me is why they get so many injuries,” said Leroy. “Technically they have to improve part of their games. There are couple of departments they must improve otherwise they will bark without a bite and soon walk away into oblivion. Firstly they must convert defense into attack. You must have noticed that while defending, both Ranki Reddy and Chirag, keep on lifting the bird, inviting more attack. They must have the ability to block a smash, or drive it back and then rush to the net so as to take control of the net area.
“Secondly, the first shot one plays in a game has to be really controlled and telling. Be it the service or the return of service your first touch has to be aggressive and compelling, so that you get a lift from the other side”
Coming back to 2022, do we have other pairs who can compete at high levels?
Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun are also good. The other thing that is noticeable in our setup is that our young players do not seem to analyse the outcome of matches they play in. The coach must make them sit and go over the match just played, irrespective of the outcome. So all these points must be kept in mind. The BAI must make these two pairs play as many tournaments they can, and coaches must really look after their fitness.
Leroy also feels that the priority has to be team games, like Thomas Cup, CWG, Asian Games. “If we are to be called badminton power house, then we should be a power to reckon with in team championships,” opines the doubles genius.
Former chief national coach Vimal Kumar, who personally coaches Lakshya Sen, feels that Indian badminton is coming of age.
“Though we did not win any title in these nine tournaments as far as men’s singles is concerned, we did defeat some top players and performance of our players augurs well for the future.
“We came close in Dutch open and the world championships. Prannoy did well enough to defeat a top player like Viktor Axlesen. Lakshya played well to get a medal on debut in world championships. Srikanth did not play well in Thomas or Sudirman Cup but then rose to high stature in the open events.
“We also have a good bench strength in players like Sameer Verma, Saurabh Verma and fast rising Kiran George, Priyanshu Rajawat, Meherban and couple of other players. I think that barring Viktor and maybe Momota, our players are on par with others. Lakshya actually led 18-14 against Momota but squandered away the opportunity,” said Kumar.
2022 is crucial for all players, with a schedule as hectic as was seen in end of 2021. As mentioned above, apart from a very vibrant world tour, players have to be at best fitness for CWG, Asian Games, Thomas and Uber Cups and World Championships. This will not be easy. In fact fitness is going to be the main issue that the coaches will have to handle.
Vimal further stated that there is hardly any time to rest and train. “I sincerely don’t know how players will manage. But we will have to cope and work out around tournaments which are more important than others. But I sincerely feel that our players will still do well.”
There will be a big question mark as far as women doubles is concerned. Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy played quite well in the open events. Well enough to earn a berth in the World Tour Finals. But with Ashwini close to 33 years old and Sikki about 28 years old in 2022, things will not be easy. Fitness and strength will be questionable however hard they try.
But unfortunately there are no upcoming pairs on the horizon, good enough to play in the top league. So Ashwini and Sikki Reddy will continue to shoulder the burden of ensuring that in team events like Uber Cup, CWG and Asian Games, India does not falter. The BAI think tank and coaches panel will have to solve this major problem.
Same thing goes for the mixed doubles as we don’t have fixed pairs. We need to identity players with a flair for playing the mixed, which technically is the most difficult of the five badminton events. We as a badminton loving country have somehow neglected this event. The time has come that we start taking the mixed doubles seriously.
2022 is going to be challenging for our players. As things stand other countries will also be facing same issues. But if we start planning today, then we can surmount the challenges. The shuttle so to say, is in BAI’s court. They have to come with answers and good planning so that our players come up with performances that will help India attain a power house status in the game.
Personally I have that strong feeling that the time has come for India to stake a claim on the biggest prize in the game- the Thomas Cup. Wishful thinking?
But why not. We have a strong line up in men’s singles with Lakshya, Srikanth, Prannoy, Sameer Verma, a really strong pair in Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty and a strong second doubles pair in Arjun/Dhruv Kapila. These strong shuttlers have in them the strength to go for the jugular of any opponent. They are already proven world beaters.
So if the country focuses from today to capture the badminton world’s most coveted prize and single mindedly trains for it, there is no reason why we cannot lift the cup.
We have to have that belief in ourselves and dream big.
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