PV Sindhu needs to keep faith in herself

I intend to begin this piece with a quote, especially meant for the vibrant PV Sindhu.

“Nothing can add more power to your life, than concentrating all your energies on a limited set of targets.”

Awadhe Warriors player P V Sindhu shakes hand with Pune Pistons player Schenk Juliane after the womens single match of Indian Badminton League (IBL) at Gachibowli stadium on August 26, 2013 in Hyderabad, India. PV Sindhu, K Srikanth and men’s doubles pair of Marcis Kido and Mathias Boe won their respective matches to help Awadhe Warriors beat Pune Pistons 3-2. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

I believe this is the key – keeping in view the IBL semi-final this evening. Concentration might prove to be a turning point in becoming the winner of the first ever IBL. Also, a possible clash with dashing Saina in the finals will be a bonus for the entire world. In other words, this possible clash of two titans might create history, depicting the emerging power of young India.

In her journey so far, she has been successful in implementing the above to an extent.

Since the inception of the IBL, Mumbai Masters held the status of the most promising team. The second favourites have been Hyderabad Hotshots – because of Saina Nehwal. As the event progressed, this proved true, and finally, Hyderabad Hotshots will face either Awadhe Warriors or Mumbai Indians in the finals.

Today’s semi-final is a very crucial match for Sindhu. To be plain, never ever in the past have the expectations been so high. The reason is fairly simple – the young fans have developed a kind of bonding with the game, and they expect their stars to win. They see glimpses of themselves in Sindhu.

More than her excellent skill, what youngsters like the most is her sharp aggression and die-hard fighting spirit. But, what she has to do is to take total control over her nerves. Many fans have noticed that whenever she loses any point against her anticipation, a visible impact emerges on her face, resulting in a divided focus. Also, in order to recover quickly, she makes mistakes by way of weak returns and poor half smashes. Also, her judgement of drop shots gets badly affected. Moreover, she indulges in unwarranted rallies instead of utilizing her powerful smashes and controlled net play.

We do not rule out the stress of performing on one’s home ground in front of dedicated local supporters. Also, the stress gets doubled when one is bearing the added responsibility of a captain as well. But this is inevitable in the day to day life of a professional badminton player. The pressure can be managed. I simply intend to quote the example and attitude shown by Saina yesterday.

But then, we should not forget Sindhu is a teenager yet, and it will take some time to absorb the pressure of the big games. She has got all the ingredients to be a great sports person. She is cool, calm, contented, hard-working and truly a fighter. Most importantly, she is a very dedicated disciple of the legendary Gopichand. I firmly believe that Sindhu will have chalked out a strategy for today’s semi-final, and hopefully, she will again thrill us with an outstanding performance.

Do you know what most of the fans enjoyed during her last encounter? It wasn’t the skill or the technique or the powerful smashes! The fans simply loved her attitude – shouting her name loudly after every crucial point. This is the moral of the story. Have faith, as you are a born winner.

The whole world is anxiously watching and we are sitting with fingers crossed. A jet load of good wishes.