India did not play the final of the 2015 World Cup cricket on Sunday, but it was nevertheless a Super Sunday for Indians. Ace badminton players Saina Nehwal and K Srikanth won the Indian Open Super Series tournament in style. A day earlier, Nehwal had capped her career by becoming the first Indian woman shuttler to be ranked as the world’s number one player. Those who have been following the career graph of the two will not be surprised by the triumph. Both Nehwal and Srikanth have remained deeply focussed on their game over the years and not allowed distractions — including the petty quarrels within the badminton fraternity — to come in the way. They have done their own experimenting with the game in the guidance of their respective coaches.
Nehwal had recently begun to practise under the tutelage for former player Vimal Kumar, after having spent many years training under the watchful eyes of national coach P Gopichand. She has, thus, been very lucky in learning from the experiences of two remarkable players. While Gopichand taught her the art and science of consolidation and patience in the face of challenges, Vimal Kumar seems to have inculcated in her a sense of aggression which was amply evident in her frequent resounding smashes that left her opponents baffled during the Indian Open. Of course, experts have been pointing to a few chinks in the armour of the two ace players, but they are not the sort that cannot be tackled in the coming months. Indian badminton is in a happy position where the Sunday's victory can be only a beginning, since the two players have a lot of game left in them. They have set their sights on the Olympic Gold, besides other achievements along the way. Meanwhile, the win should not just inspire the present crop of top Indian players but also hundreds of youngsters who aspire to adopt the game professionally.
An equally important aspect of the twin triumph is the success of Indian coaches. A strange mindset has prevailed for far too long among administrators of various sports that foreign coaches and trainers are essential to take Indian sportspersons to the top of the heap. We have seen this in cricket (with some disastrous results and bitter controversies with Australian great Greg Chappell at the helm), in football, in hockey, and elsewhere. But our top badminton players have consistently performed admirably and won prestigious tournaments at home and abroad under the guidance of Indian coaches. It may be recalled that Prakash Padukone, arguably the most accomplished badminton player the country has produced, also did not depend much on foreign coaches in his journey to the top, which he capped by wining the All England Open championship decades ago. It is hoped that sports federations will take a cue from the success and the experience of Indian badminton players. There is also some merit in the argument that Indian coaches can better understand the domestic ethos, pressures and cultural environment — all of which impacts the performance of players. This is not to say that foreign coaches are in principle bad. Football clubs have especially benefitted from foreign expertise. But there is no need to cast one's net too wide when the catch is close by.
