India Badminton

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Saina Nehwal crashes out of French Open Super Series
PTI | Oct 27, 2011, 06.04PM IST

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...w/10509466.cms

Excerpts from the report of the gruesome incident:

India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal battled her heart out before going down to Xuerui Li of China in straight-games to crash out of the French Open Super Series in Paris on Thursday.

It was a disastrous day for India at Paris as Ajay Jayaram and Commonwealth Games gold medallist pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa too suffered defeats to draw curtains on the country's campaign at the event.

Fourth seed Saina lost 18-21, 29-30 to Li in a 48-minute gruelling women's single match to crash out of the second round for the second time in the last two weeks.

Jayaram, who reached the second round of the men's singles competition after beating fellow Indian RMV Gurusaidutt last night, suffered a 19-21, 14-21 loss to sixth seed Chinese Jin Chen in a 46-minute hard-fought match.

Jwala and Ashwini too couldn't get past the sixth seeded Korean combo of Jung Eun Ha and Min Jung Kim and lost 13-21, 12-21 in a match that lasted for 27 minutes.

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This article makes for a fascinating read, another story of triumph over adversity in life. Worth every moment of the time it takes to read the entire article.

Gopi’s rise: How parents supported a sports protege
Anupama Bagri Dec 9, 2011

http://www.firstpost.com/sports/gopi...ge-151653.html

Excerpts:

It was interesting to note that badminton wasn’t Gopi’s first choice. Actually he and his older brother were quite keen on tennis but didn’t pursue the sport because the other boys who played at the Fateh Maidan Club in Hyderabad came from affluent backgrounds and his parents didn’t want the boys to get any sort of inferiority complex. Badminton, they thought, was a more lower-middle class sport. That their decision would change the course of their lives was something they had never imagined then.

...Later on, when Raja got through to IIT Madras and Gopi was still struggling to make it big in badminton, his parents braved all taunts from the extended family and let Gopi pursue his dream.

...his mother, Subbaravamma, would walk 4-5 kms in the punishing Hyderabad summer just to save the one buck bus fare to buy her son a shuttle. She stopped socialising and didn’t watch a movie for 13 years so that the money could be used for Gopi’s kit or better food for him. In fact, Gopi’s father, P Subash Chandra Bose, would make do with just four shirts in a year to fulfil the never-ending demands of the game. But if there was a bigger sacrifice it was Gopi’s younger sister Hima Bindu, who was always denied clothes and books because of Gopi’s badminton needs. Of course, Gopi pampered her silly once he started doing well and always got her a gift when he went overseas.

...Initially the custom officials were suspicious that Gopi was bringing back so many used shuttles for trading but when they were told the reason, they were quite amused.

...He’s often said that had it not been for her, (his mother) he would’ve never come back from the career-threatening knee injury and All England would’ve remained only a dream. The freak-injury had left Gopi on crutches and since his building had no elevator, his parents would carry him up and down the stairs on their shoulders.

...The doctor had overheard Gopi’s parents say that they couldn’t afford Rs 15,000 for the surgery and waived off his entire fee. Just to make Gopi and his family feel better, Rajgopal said if Gopi ever won the All England, that would be his fee.

...What impresses you once you’ve finished the book is that even though he can now afford the luxuries of life, Gopi’s lifestyle and his dedication to badminton remains unchanged. His state-of-the-art academy at Gachibowli in Hyderabad, now worth about Rs 80 crores, is his gift to millions of budding players who now have all facilities under one roof, something Gopi never had.

[george@chongwei]

At least she made it to the finals of the ss final and force the match to the deciding game. Way to go. wish 2012 would turn out to be a good year for her..

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Here is a good review of the year, in particular for Indian badminton. Worth a read for all those who want to follow Indian badminton.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/sports/3...-sunshine.html

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How does a good junior become a great senior?
Aparna Popat
Dec 23, 2011

Another good, thoughtful and insightful article by Aparna Popat

http://www.firstpost.com/sports/how-...or-163914.html

[rahuldarga]

How does a good junior become a great senior?
Aparna Popat
Dec 23, 2011

Another good, thoughtful and insightful article by Aparna Popat

http://www.firstpost.com/sports/how-...or-163914.html

Very correct indeed... Its a fact that applies to all the sports in India barring cricket (Even though they are not good enough at that). At junior level Indian sportspersons do really well but the transitioning to the senior level is a big concern... For many years now, a lot of promising talents have just faded away leaving few and far in between who were lucky enough to succeed....

Thanks to the initiative by Gopichand for putting up a team who make the dreams of many promising badminton talents to be competent enough at the international level. They may not be as extra ordinary as the Chinese and the others but they trying are very hard to be at their level, that much I can say looking at the current crop of Indian Badminton players. I don't how many of them are natural born talents like Yihan, Inthanon etc.. as sports in India are played on personal interest. Just because someone has interest in a sport doesnt mean they have natural talent for it. Which makes it all the more difficult for them as they have to work twice or thrice as hard compared to the naturally talented ones (That, in no way, means that the talented ones got a free ticket, hope you know what I mean ). The absence of scouting for natural talents at grass root levels (like during schooling) in India is the main reason for this. The whole system needs to change. I hope the current players change the mindset of Indian parents who always stress their children to choose education over sports for a profession.
I was lucky my parents weren't like that... I chose education myself when I realized I didn't have talent for Cricket.... I should've tried badminton instead .

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Top stars for inter-State and National championship

Avinash Nair
BANGALORE, January 17, 2012

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper...cle2806744.ece

Excerpts:

Saina Nehwal and a host of internationals will be seen in action at the inter-State and Open National badminton championship beginning with the qualifying rounds at the K. Raheja KBA stadium here from Tuesday.

While the first two days will see the qualifying rounds of the open National, the inter-State event will be held on January 19 and 20 while the Open events will commence from January 21 with the finals slated for January 25.

...“The International circuit is on and most of the players are keen on improving their ranking points. Also since most have not played in the national circuit they have not been seeded, which means a top player like Ajay Jayaram (World ranking of 27) can play the seeds as early as in the first round, which makes this Nationals an open one. As many as 15 players in the men's list can win the title this year,” added Vimal.

...In the inter-State event, the powerful Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) will be the team to beat in both sections, though Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Air India can pose stiff challenges especially in the women's section.

The seedings: Men's singles: 1. Sourabh Varma (PSPB), 2. Sai Praneeth (PSPB), 3. Mohit Kamat (Rlys), 4. H.S. Prannoy (PSPB), 5. Pratul Joshi (AI), 6. Arvind Bhat (PSPB), 7.Sumeeth Reddy (Aai), 8. K. Nandagopal (AAI).
Women's singles: 1. P.C. Thulasi (Ker), 2. Neha Pandit (AAI), 3. Sayali Gokhale (AI), 4. Aditi Mutatkar (PSPB), 5. Dhanya Nair (Rlys), 6. Arundhati Pantawane (PSPB), 7. Anita Ohlan (Rlys), 8. Mohita Sahdev (AAI).

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Seasoned Bhat raring for one major smash
Josey Samuel, Bangalore,
Jan 17, 2012, DHNS:

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...one-major.html

Excerpts:

On his career so far: I started playing badminton at the age of 12 for a fun. I even quit the sport when I joined for Mechanical Engineering (BE) at University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering. I was 18 then but I came back two years later and joined Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA). But I took it seriously only after winning a National-level tournament where I beat some of the top players. Soon, in 2002, I was named in the Indian team for the Thomas and Uber Cup. Since then for the past 10 years I am a regular in the squad. I won my first international title in 2004 at the Scottish Open and my other major triumphs include the Czech Open, Jordan Open, Syria Open.

However, I lost in four National finals from 2004-08 before I could pocket the crown in 2009. When I started my career there was hardly any money in the sport. Now I am happy that I am employed with Bharat Petroleum as an Asst Manager in Bangalore.
On his future: I want to play for two more years. I am focusing on winning a major international title, especially Super Series, before quitting. So working hard to realise that dream.

On the talent pool in the country: None of the upcoming shuttlers is extraordinary. They all are at the same level. Sourabh Varma, Ajay Jayaram, Sai Praneeth, Kashyap are all good but not extraordinary players like Prakash Padukone or P Gopichand or Saina Nehwal. To succeed at the highest level in international circuit you have to be above average. But among women, PV Sindhu is a good prospect. She has taken her game to a different level and has every chance of winning the crown here. But overall, the badminton in India is looking good.

[rahuldarga]

Seasoned Bhat raring for one major smash
Josey Samuel, Bangalore,
Jan 17, 2012, DHNS:

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/...one-major.html

Excerpts:

On his career so far: I started playing badminton at the age of 12 for a fun. I even quit the sport when I joined for Mechanical Engineering (BE) at University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering. I was 18 then but I came back two years later and joined Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA). But I took it seriously only after winning a National-level tournament where I beat some of the top players. Soon, in 2002, I was named in the Indian team for the Thomas and Uber Cup. Since then for the past 10 years I am a regular in the squad. I won my first international title in 2004 at the Scottish Open and my other major triumphs include the Czech Open, Jordan Open, Syria Open.

However, I lost in four National finals from 2004-08 before I could pocket the crown in 2009. When I started my career there was hardly any money in the sport. Now I am happy that I am employed with Bharat Petroleum as an Asst Manager in Bangalore.
On his future: I want to play for two more years. I am focusing on winning a major international title, especially Super Series, before quitting. So working hard to realise that dream.

On the talent pool in the country: None of the upcoming shuttlers is extraordinary. They all are at the same level. Sourabh Varma, Ajay Jayaram, Sai Praneeth, Kashyap are all good but not extraordinary players like Prakash Padukone or P Gopichand or Saina Nehwal. To succeed at the highest level in international circuit you have to be above average. But among women, PV Sindhu is a good prospect. She has taken her game to a different level and has every chance of winning the crown here. But overall, the badminton in India is looking good.

It may be a bit harsh saying that some of the players mentioned above are not good enough but what ever he said is true. Even Sindhu, unless she works on her fitness she'll find it really hard to survive.

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Rewind to.....

When a foreigner won nationals
http://expressbuzz.com/sport/when-a-...ls/355663.html

Excerpts:

In 1940 Chi Choo Keg of Malaysia became the first foreign player to win the title. Then in 1959 Erland Kops of Denmark, the 11-time All-England champion, won the title.

Erland was invited to play in open tournaments in India and was also given an entry into the nationals. He promptly entered the final and won the title as well.

...A 17-year old boy from the then Mysore state won his first national title way back in 1971. From then on for nine years in a row, he won it every year.

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Not desperate for the 10th title: Rupesh Kumar
By Dev Sukumar | Jan 20

http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/01/2...-rupesh-kumar/

A very insightful interview by one of the top MD players from India!

Excerpts:

Are all countries playing a similar style?
I think the Chinese play faster than the rest of the world. Technique-wise Indians are very good, and Indonesians are the best. Skill-wise, the Koreans are the best because they will never lift. They don’t lift the shuttle even if the shuttle catches the tape; they just use the brush-stroke. They never worry about mistakes, even if they’re down. We try to play safe, and in the process we end up lifting a lot. It’s a mistake that we don’t try different things. The last ten years we Indians have been playing the same game. I think the younger players should try new stuff.

Most top-ten teams have muscular players. Is that a deficiency in Indian badminton?
We definitely don’t have the strength they have. I feel in 60 per cent of the time, it’s inborn. The Indonesians, Koreans and Chinese are basically strong. In India, we are not built strong; we aren’t born strong. We have to build our strength. It’s genetic. It’s not possible that every Indonesian looks the same, that everyone’s legs can be the same – but you can’t find a single weak leg among the Indonesians. The physical advantage is always with them. As Indians, what we have are skill and talent and technique. That’s where they lack, a little.

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Triumphant campaign for teenagers Sourabh Varma and Sindhu
http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-...cle2832370.ece

Excerpt:

Teenagers Sourabh Varma and P.V. Sindhu captured their maiden National men's and women's singles titles in the 76th edition of the badminton championships here at the K. Raheja-KBA courts on Wednesday.

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Teens’ night out at Nationals as Sourabh, Sindhu rule
By Dev Sukumar | Jan 25

http://www.sportskeeda.com/2012/01/2...h-sindhu-rule/

Excerpts:

Bangalore: A clutch of fresh faces emerged winners at the National Badminton Championships here on Wednesday, making it seem like this was an event destined to mark a new chapter in India’s badminton history.

...Rupesh and Sanave’s loss meant that 10 would continue to be the jinxed number of Indian badminton. No player has won ten titles in a single event.

[fmqpt791004]

I saw an Indian guy paired up with russian girl in XD international game- I forgot.
It was very interesting, because I always wonder "can different national players be mixed up together?"

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Delhi’s Apinder Pal set to umpire in Olympics
Saji Chacko NEW DELHI | 1st Apr

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/sport...re-in-olympics

Excerpts:

...Speaking to The Sunday Guardian, Pal, who is currently working in the AG Audit Delhi, said that he was thrilled when he got the letter from the London Olympic Committee four days back."At first I could not believe it..."

..."I am aware that I have joined the elite panel. More than anything else I am happy that I have become the third Indian to umpire a match at the Olympics. It is a great honour for me. I feel on top of the world," he added.

...For Apinder it has been a case of a change-over from a player to an official. As he put it,"I started off as a state level player. I had dreams of making it big at the national level. When I realised I had my limitations to make it beyond a point, I decided to shift to officiating. It was a tough process but then I was determined to make my presence felt at the international level," he added.

He started his umpiring career in 1992 after passing the Grade 2 exam in Calicut. "That was one of the toughest exams I ever passed. Interestingly, it was the first time that I had appeared for an exam," he added. Thereafter he cleared the Asian Badminton Confederation (ABC) and BWF accreditation to become a Grade I umpire.

[LD rules!]

I think India have a lot of very good players, they have potential to have a strong Thomas cup team in a couple of years time.

The player that has impressed me the most out of the young ones is HS Prannoy, he is still only 19, and I think he has very good potential. He is going to be one to watch for in a couple of years time. Sai Praneeth is good too, but I think he misses something that Prannoy has (can't put my finger on it) I haven't seen Sameer Verma play do I can't really comment. All of these players are 18-19, so if they continue to improve it won't be long until they force the senior players such as Ajay/Kashyap/Chetan/Anand etc out the door (I think they are the 85/86 year bracket) so they may feel the pressure soon. RMV and Sourabh still have a bit to prove (especially Sourabh) so there is pressure there too.

Just look out for there Juniors, I think that they are much stronger than the Malaysian ones (the singles players that is) if you lined up the top 3 U20's vs Mas top 3 U20's then India would win

HS Prannoy, Sai Praneeth and Sameer Verma are too strong for Iskandar, Loh Wei Sheng and Zulfadli... Infact Iskandar and Loh are already 21&20 I think!

[London_Player]

There are a lot of young men's single players coming through into international scene but no women's single players and no MD, which have to rely on veteren pair of Thomas & co.