The Indian women’s team’s chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Uber Cup 2014 would depend a lot on the success of doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa. The duo tells Amit Chaudhary that their understanding of each other’s game makes them a good pair. Excerpts.
Your earliest memories of Uber CupIJ
Jwala Gutta: My first memory of Uber Cup was in 2000 at the age of 16 in Delhi only. I was was the youngest player. Now I’m the senior player and play a different role. I have a lot of responsibilities to take care of. Me and Ashwini will play a crucial role as always. Me and Ashwini played for the first time as a pair in 2009 and I think we qualified for the final at that time. The event was in Thailand and the finals were in Malaysia.
Ashwini Ponnappa: My first Uber Cup appearance was in 2009. I was partnering Jwala for the first time and we were the second pair then. Shruti (Kurien) and Aparna (Balan) were the first pair.
What makes you click as a teamIJ
JG: I think we have a lot of understanding between us. We understand each other’s game really well. I know her strengths and weaknesses and she also knows my strengths and weaknesses. My job on court is to try and give her the opening and her strengths is her smash.
AP: We complement each other with our style of play. Jwala is a brilliant player at the net and I am pretty good at the back of the court. I think the most important thing is we aim to do well and have the belief to do well as a pair.
For a pair’s success, how crucial is the trust in each other’s abilitiesIJ
JG: As a pair, We need to trust each other. Trust has to come from within. When I decided to pair with her, I trusted her capabilities with whole-heartedness and I think that’s why we are here.
AP: I think trust has grown over the years. We combine really well. We learnt a lot as we kept on playing. We took a lot of positives at the start to move forward. When, I decided to pair with her, Jwala was already an established player and she has been very supportive all through.
Which is the toughest opposition in this event and whyIJ
GJ: Thailand. Ratchanok (Intanon) is there. They also have an established pair. Although we defeated them recently at ABC but every day is different. We can’t underestimate them. Even their second doubles pair is very good.
AP: Thailand’s every singles player is good.
How different is it to play in a team tournamentIJ
GJ: I have always been a team player. Team Championships give me a different feeling and I enjoy playing in it. It happens very rarely that singles and doubles play for a single goal. A big event is coming to India and with the presence of home crowd, it is going to be fun this time.
AP: I think each thing has different charm. When you play for the team, it’s different with all of them supporting you. It’s also nice to play for yourself. But, in team events, I think there is more pressure as you think about the team as well and move together as a group.
You parted ways for a brief period. What brought you togther againIJ
GJ: We knew that to give good results, we had to play together. We wanted to produce good results. I knew that I had a little bit of badminton left in me. So, I wanted to give it a last shot.