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The path clears for P V Sindhu
With Saina Nehwal’s unexpected withdrawal from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, P V Sindhu finds herself in an enviable yet daunting position to win gold for India in her maiden CWG appearance.
Having already won a couple of Grand Prix Gold titles and a World Championship bronze (that has so far eluded her senior compatriot), the World No. 11 is the highest ranked female player in the event. So she shold be expected to have a cakewalk in the women’s singles category, right? Not quite.
If the 2010 CWG marathon singles final between Nehwal and Malaysian Wong Mew Choo is anything to go by, rankings barely matter in these competitions; more so when you have nothing to lose.
Challengers galore that could derail the quest for gold
Sindhu will have no dearth of worthy opponents who know a thing or two about beating top players. Though the top seed enjoys a 2-0 record against third seed Li Michelle of Canada, their last meeting at the Swiss Open this year was pretty close. Ranked 20 in the world, Michelle is likely to pose a serious challenge to India's gold quest.
However, Sindhu's toughest opponent will likely be the local favourite and second seed Kirsty Gilmour. Known for her unconventional style of play, the 17th-ranked Gilmour beat Sindhu last year in three tight games and with the crowd on her side this time, things can’t get any tougher for the lanky Indian. Sindhu can of course seek tips from compatriots Nehwal and Tanvi Lad – both of whom had wins over the Scot this year but are not part of the team.
Inconsistency – Sindhu’s biggest adversary
Though she has been regularly breaking the Chinese wall, Sindhu’s deep runs in major tournaments have been thwarted by unexpected losses to lower ranked opponents. Last year at the French Open Super Series, she humbled World No. 6 Ji Hyun Sung, only to lose in the next round to – (no points for guessing who) – a much lower-ranked Gilmour!
In 2014, except for her unbeaten record in Uber Cup, Sindhu hasn’t had much success on the circuit. She did beat against World No. 2 Shixian Wang early this year but again lost in the very next round.
Moreover, this is not the first time that Sindhu will be leading India in Saina's absence, and her previous record doesn’t exactly inspire condidence. She spearheaded the challenge in Sudirman Cup 2013 and failed to win a match.
Still India’s best badminton hope in Glasgow
All that said, given her physical fitness and survival skills in long matches, the 19-year-old is still India's best bet in the badminton event at CWG. Coach Pullela Gopichand certainly appears confident of her chances, a sentiment that he expressed while emphasizing India’s rise in the sport.
Sindhu of course can’t meet Gilmour until the final, and must first focus on the mixed team event that commences before the singles. With Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa by her side, Sindhu should be able to ease the pressure and take her team event form to the singles competition.
While she is definitely the favourite to win the gold here, Sindhu must not be pressurized to defend a crown that is not hers to defend. Rather, she must strive to win the yellow medal solely to justify her seeding and the promise as the next big thing in world badminton.
