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The ongoing National Championships might set the stage for a unique record in Indian badminton history, for Kerala’s RUPESH KUMAR will be aiming for his 10th straight men’s doubles title. No one – not even Prakash Padukone, Pullela Gopichand or Aparna Popat – has won ten straight titles, and Rupesh’s will be a record to cherish.
What makes Rupesh special is that he has had success with different partners. In 2002 and 2003 he won the title partnering Markose Bristow; from 2004 onwards his partnership with Sanave Thomas earned him a further seven titles. The Rupesh-Sanave combo (ranked world No.27 now) is the best ever Indian men’s doubles combination, having reached the top-15 of the world. Having assured medal-winning campaigns in two Commonwealth Games, Rupesh has been one of Team India’s most loyal and diligent soldiers.
Rupesh is considered one of the most astute and creative players in the world. The 32-year-old has been an inherent part of the Indian badminton team over the last decade, and is well qualified to speak about the evolution of badminton on the national and international stage. Excerpts from an interview with Dev S Sukumar.
A tenth successive title – what does it mean to you?
It’s a good feeling, winning the title for the 10th time will be a different feeling. No one has done it before. But I’m not really desperate to win; I’m here to play. I’m not looking for a record.
Many top Indian players miss the nationals. How important an event is it for you?
The nationals is always special. I’ve always made sure to play the nationals, because there is a lot of participation and the spirit is different. I’ve played for the last 13 or 14 years and have never missed the nationals. This time the feeling is not different.
How has the game changed over the last 15 years in India?
Doubles has come a long way. Players have now started specializing in events. Initially, it was like a singles player could play doubles. He’d enter in all events. Now, a singles player plays only singles, because otherwise he will need extraordinary fitness. Indians have learnt a lot from foreign players, because we have international events in India, and you don’t need to play abroad to see them play. Coaching camps have come a long way. Players are staying in camps more than they stay at home.
Considering the duration of national camps and the frequency of international tournaments, do you have to compromise a lot on your family life?
Definitely. We lose a lot in that context. There are so many stages in family life when you have to be there. Once you start a family you want to do certain things, but being a player there are so many days when you’re not at home to manage your family the way you want to. Especially after having kids; the worst part is that you miss their childhood, you can’t see them grow. I have twins who are 3-1/2 years old (Athmika and Kaustubh). I’ve seen very little of them because I’ve been at camps or tournaments abroad. So when you go home for 10 days you try to make the best of it.
What’s the major change in Indian doubles over the last ten years?
I’ve played with many partners. Markose Bristow, Jaseel Ismail, Joy, Jose George, Arvind Bhat, Sanave Thomas, V Diju. I have realized that during the initial days, all you needed was to train and rest properly. It’s not important that you train a lot, because those days you could afford to toss, to play a few relaxed strokes, and you could lift. Everybody played like that. I’m talking of Indian badminton.
Are all countries playing a similar style?
I think the Chinese play faster than the rest of the world. Technique-wise Indians are very good, and Indonesians are the best. Skill-wise, the Koreans are the best because they will never lift. They don’t lift the shuttle even if the shuttle catches the tape; they just use the brush-stroke. They never worry about mistakes, even if they’re down. We try to play safe, and in the process we end up lifting a lot. It’s a mistake that we don’t try different things. The last ten years we Indians have been playing the same game. I think the younger players should try new stuff.
Are all the top doubles players big hitters?
Each team has at least one big hitter. Like (world No.2) Lee Yong Dae and Jung Jae Sung, Jung is the big hitter and Lee is the creator. In doubles it’s rare that both hit hard. Sometimes you have two hard hitters and you can’t get any lifts because you don’t have a creator.
Most top-ten teams have muscular players. Is that a deficiency in Indian badminton?
We definitely don’t have the strength they have. I feel in 60 per cent of the time, it’s inborn. The Indonesians, Koreans and Chinese are basically strong. In India, we are not built strong; we aren’t born strong. We have to build our strength. It’s genetic. It’s not possible that every Indonesian looks the same, that everyone’s legs can be the same – but you can’t find a single weak leg among the Indonesians. The physical advantage is always with them. As Indians, what we have are skill and talent and technique. That’s where they lack, a little.
Is it possible for an Indian doubles pair to be consistently in the top-ten?
Definitely it’s possible. But there’s a lot of difference between the world level and Indian level. To win an International Challenge is going to be a big task. To win a round is like winning a final. Everyone plays strong. For juniors to come up, we have to practice with those world pairs. Otherwise, if you go into international competition, you won’t know what hit you.
Aren’t the juniors getting good exposure now?
It’s not sufficient. We have a problem training abroad, because they have realized we are defeating the top pairs. We are in that zone now. No one wants to entertain us in their academies. Earlier, nobody was scared of us, because they had nothing to fear. Now they’re tentative about training with us. Like in 2006, we trained in Indonesia, and we won a bronze in the Commonwealth Games soon after.
What’s it like being part of the Indian team?
Very nice. Everyone’s doing well. I’ve been travelling with different players over the last decade. There was a time when the foreign teams didn’t take us seriously. Now everyone is scared to play us, because you can make out from their preparation and warm up. Earlier they never used to warm up. It’s a welcome change.
What’s it about Saina that makes her so special?
Saina will never give up. Even on her off day, when her strokes are not going well, she will fight. She’s like Nadal, she always tries for that extra shuttle. She’s always ready from the word go.
