Pullela Gopichand has his say on the Saina Nehwal-PV Sindhu rivalry

What’s the story?

Pullela Gopichand, the national coach of the Indian badminton team, gave his verdict on the rivalry between India’s top two women shuttlers – Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu at a recent promotional event. He was speaking at the book launch of ‘A History of Indian Sport through 100 Artefacts’ by Boria Majumdar, where he was asked about his thoughts.

He stated that he was fine with the rivalry, as long as it helps both players perform better on the court. He said, “If it helps improve their performance, then it’s good for them. I’m happy.”

He also spoke about Nehwal, who he used to coach earlier, and said that she will return strongly from her recent slump in form. “Saina has had some good performances. She is on her way to recovery and I hope she comes back stronger,” said the 2001 All England Championships winner.

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Nehwal and Sindhu have teamed up previously for a doubles tie in the Uber Cup

With an Olympic medal each under their belts, both Saina and Sindhu have been the flagbearers for Indian badminton in recent times. They have enjoyed a fierce on-court rivalry and the matches between them have often been tightly contested.

In their most recent encounter, it was the 21-year-old who came up trumps. They faced off in the quarterfinals of the India Open Super Series in March this year, with Sindhu recording a 21-16 22-20 win.

The heart of the matter

Both shuttlers were in action on Monday at the ongoing PSPB inter-unit badminton championship in Bangalore and teamed up for their side, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), for a doubles rubber.

They played the doubles-specialist pairing of N Sikki Reddy and Aparna Balan, where they went down fighting. Earlier, Sindhu and Nehwal had also teamed up in the Uber Cup.

Nehwal, who won the bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012, is a former world number one and has won a host of trophies over the years. However, she has seen a sharp dip in form after undergoing surgery on her knee following the Rio Games.

On the other hand, Sindhu has gone from strength to strength after winning the silver medal at the Olympics last year. This year has seen her win the Syed Modi Grand Prix in Lucknow as well as the India Open Super Series in Delhi.

What’s next?

Both shuttlers will look to put their best foot forward in the ongoing PSPB competition and will return to the international circuit after it.

Author’s Take

The rivalry between Nehwal and Sindhu has been built up a lot in the last few years but Gopichand’s statement is a truly positive and politically correct one. His words of encouragement for Nehwal are also very good to hear.