Indian shuttlers lack consistency to challenge the elite

The Indian badminton singles players at the world stage have improved with the likes of Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu and, in the male category, the likes of Sourabh Verma, Praineeth, Gurusaidutt, Srikanth and Kashyap proving to the world that Indian players can compete with world best and can win tournaments. However, the doubles field in both the men’s and women’s sections does not look good after the decline of the likes of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa. In 2011 they won the bronze medal at the World Championship and thereafter there has been no strong women’s pair in India.

I am sure that the new and young talented Indian players are capable of doing well. The IBL experience should help these youngsters to increase their level of confidence but there are weaknesses in these Indian players which should be addressed.

The strength of the Koreans, Chinese and Japanese, and the fitness of players in these countries is so good that to match their stamina a player needs more time. Saina Nehwal is not having a good 2013 because of injury and he relative inability to cover the court. These Indian players putting in the hard work; the Pullela Gopichand academy is the place where they train and give their best for the country. PV Sindhu, a World Championship bronze medallist, should work on her fitness and agility must be her prime focus before the next Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. In the recent Denmark Open Sindhu lost in the first round to Hirose.

In 2013 Saina Nehwal has not performed according to the expectations because of the fitness issues and the relative lack of mental toughness. The mental toughness, agility and attitude to fight till the end of the Chinese and Koreans is the major strength that makes them different from the Indians.

The ability to tackle pressure and to not give away points easily to the opponent have been the weaknesses of the young Indian male players but playing more tournaments and getting more experience at the world stage should stand them in good stead.

When Saina Nehwal burst into scene the Indian sensation won a lot of tournaments. The high point of her career came when she won the Commonwealth Games gold and then the historic London Olympic bronze medal. Let’s see what happens at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.