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What a pleasant change for PV Sindhu and for badminton in India. Surprisingly, until just a few days back, only hard-core fans of the game used to follow her. From the moment she won a precious bronze in the World Badminton Championships in China, her fan-following jumped manifold overnight.
In a story published in Mid-Day newspaper in July 2013, Sindhu had said, “My style of play is more aggressive, though now I am working on my defence.” In the recent match against Saina, commentators were pointing out that Sindhu’s backhand defence was weak. This is what Sindhu needs to look at; otherwise her game is excellent. Her height is proving a vital added advantage.
Many thanks to Olympic Gold Quest for supporting the game of badminton. Also, coach Gopichand truly deserves all the praise he gets. And of course, Sindhu’s parents for shaping her up to the level she has reached today and the heights she is going to scale tomorrow. Interestingly, her parents, P V Ramanna and Vijaya, both played volleyball for India and her father also received an Arjuna Award in 2000. So its in her blood to be a winner.
As an attempt to recognize her contribution to Indian badminton, she has been nominated for the coveted Arjuna Award for 2013. What a wonderful beginning to a career! Did I mention that she has just completed 18 years of age on 5-7-2013? Simply amazing!
Awadhe Warriors paid $80,000 in the IBL auction for Sindhu. Also, the Indian badminton federation has announced a cash award of Rs 15 lakh for Sindhu for getting a bronze medal.
Not just going by her achievements, there lies years of sweat and toil put in by Sindhu. Since the age of 8, she used to travel 56 km from her home, for her vigorous training. This was really a journey full of struggles. During her earlier days, her commitment, down to earth approach and total devotion had impressed coach Gopichand to no end. He had seen the spark hidden in P V Sindhu. It is imperative to add that mere training and infrastructure do not serve the purpose; it is the unabated desire to excel which keeps a player going. Sindhu’s self-esteem, her body language, and most importantly, her obedience to coaches is what separates her from the rest.
And this seems to be simply a co-incidence that Virat Kohli and Sindhu have been nominated together for the Arjuna award. Whereas Kohli is seen as ready to take charge of Indian cricket in a short while, the media has already started projecting Sindhu’s capability in taking Indian badminton forward. But millions of fans strongly believe that instead of following in the footsteps of any other, she is going to establish her own distinct benchmark. Owing to her simplicity, Sindhu is definitely going to be a star attraction for years to come. We wish her all the best. She is already a role model for many youngsters.
