NEW DELHI: Indian badminton is witnessing a wind of change, with the youngsters evidently stepping up at the recently-concluded All England Championship.
Promising duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand entered the history books by becoming the first doubles pair from the country to reach semi-finals, while Almora boy Lakshya Sen became the fifth Indian to make it to the title clash at the All England.
Former international badminton player and Major Dhyan Chand awardee, Trupti Murgunde, offered her take on the stupendous performance of Indian shuttlers at the Birmingham meet.
Excerpts:
Your thoughts on India's campaign at the All England?
Trupti: The performance of the young Indian shuttlers has been really good over the last week of the All England Championship. Lakshya's journey was exceptional…reaching the finals of this event is a big feat. The younger crop of players like Treesa/Gayatri, Arjun/Dhruv Kapila and Chirag/Satwik have all been very impressive. It's no mean feat that after 21 long years, we have a men's singles finalist in Lakshya and to become the youngest Indian to reach the summit clash was a great achievement. Overall, I think a very good performance by the younger generation of players. I must say these are good times for Indian badminton.
How do you see Treesa & Gayatri's journey in the tournament?
Trupti: I enjoyed watching them throughout the meet. They were playing very confidently and with a fearless attitude. I was particularly impressed by their performance against the pair from Thailand. They played their hearts out and the combination is very good. Treesa is stronger and more aggressive while Gayatri is more tactical and skilful. They really complement each other well. They have done well in the past tournaments as well like the Syed Modi International but going forward, they will have to be more alert and tactical as opponents will analyse them more.
Saina Nehwal made a comeback from injury, she played well against the eventual champion - what do you make of her performance?
Trupti: I would say considering Saina is making a comeback from injury, this was a really good performance against Akane (Yamaguchi). It is a good morale booster and will give Saina more confidence in the upcoming tournaments like the Commonwealth Games followed by the Asian Games this year. It is always tough coming back from injuries to the international arena and this performance will definitely boost Saina to again make a mark in the international circuit.
Lakshya has become Indian badminton's new poster boy after his success at the All England. Your thoughts…
Trupti: Reaching the finals of the All England is an absolutely amazing achievement. What I really like about Lakshya is he has been very consistent over the last six months. He is excelling with each tournament and looking matured, calm and confident on the court. He is able to adapt to tactical changes as and when required. I just hope he is able to maintain his form as the Olympics is still two years away and, if he keeps himself fit, he will stand a chance to win a medal at the Olympics.
What went wrong for Lakshya in the final?
Trupti: In the final, I felt Lakshya didn't start well and was not quite at his best strategically. His previous match was an intense semi-final of about 1 hour and 15 minutes, so that really took a toll on him. Having said that, Viktor (Axelsen) is a seasoned campaigner and he has been there done that on a big stage like the All England and the experience did work in his favour. I congratulate Viktor on his win and I am sure Lakshya will come back stronger in the upcoming tournaments.
