The rising starlet - P.V. Sindhu

The next big thing of badminton, P.V. Sindhu, has been in news for quite a long time for now. Consistency, determination and her never-say-die attitude has already been noticed by everyone in the sports circuit. Her rise to the top echelons of the game has been phenomenal, as she has moved to centre in a very short time. To capture a place of her own in such a short time, in the presence of an established star player like Saina Nehwal, has been a commendable feat for P.V. Sindhu.

Born to a professional volleyball couple, she chose this game at a very early age. Athleticism was in her blood from the very beginning. The dream of becoming a badminton player for the country was always in her mind from the very beginning of her life. Her ambition and goal was spotted by her earlier coaches and they always saw on her, the making of a big-match-player.

Soon after she joined the Pallule Gopichand’s academy, she was brought into limelight by the former star shuttlers of the country and they gave her a suitable platform to perform and work on the finer aspects of her game. But the main reason for her success in her short career has been determination and willingness to learn and improve her game.

It is always stated that “when a player learns his mistakes or is rather willing to accept criticism and take it in good stride, he/she will always achieve the path of glory no matter how long it takes.” The same was the case with Sindhu. She was always in the good books of her trainers and coaches. She wholeheartedly accepted the mistakes in her game and corrected it promptly. Her passion to perform well drove her to learn new techniques and train harder than before.

While examining her progress as a youngster, a correspondent stated: “The biggest asset of Sindhu has been that she has always reported on time for her practices. Travelling 56 kilometers every day and still making it on time at such an age speaks volumes about her love, willingness to learn and compete with the best players of the world.” Sindhu, who showed care and respect for time at his/her teenage days, was destined to achieve success early in her career. This fact can be well connected from this rising player in badminton.

Gopichand once quoted “The most striking feature in Sindhu’s game that has caught my attention so far has been that she never loses hope and knows what she is doing. Her positive attitude is destined to take her far and make her enter into the elite group of shuttlers India ever had”.

She didn’t prove him wrong as she became the first woman in singles to win a medal at the World Championships (a feat earlier achieved by Prakash Padukone, who had bagged a bronze medal). She quickly broke into the top 20 of the World Federation rankings which was released last year. She has been a bright performer for the country since her teenage. She broke into the top three of BWF Junior Rankings.

Her ability to learn the basics of the game and understand the value of keeping the winning momentum made her path towards victory easy. She added few more trophies in her cabinet by winning the Asia youth U-19 Championship and also reached the quarter finals of Junior World Badminton Championship held in Mexico.

Spurred by her performance, she continued her winning streak by registering a famous win over the London 2012 Olympics gold medalist Li Xuerui of China, beating her 21-19,9-21,21-16 but eventually lost in the semifinals to Jaing Yanjiao of China. She may have crashed out of the tournament in the semis but she had won the hearts of many during the course of the tournament.

Her impressive run didn’t come to a halt as she participated in the National Badminton Championship held in Srinagar where she entered the finals and finished second. The fact that she had pulled an injury and still continued to carry it through the entire tournament is praiseworthy.

She gave everything to win the tournament but lost, only to gain more followers for herself. Temperament has always been an essential resource for P.V.Sindhu and she surely knows how to use it in crunch match situations as well as off the court. Her game style has surely made her earn the tag of a ‘giant-killer’.

Her maiden Grand Slam win finally came in 2013 when she won the Malaysian Open by upsetting her opponent Juan Gu by beating her 21-17,17-21,21-19. Last but certainly not the least, came the recently concluded, Indian Badminton League. Representing the Awadha Warriors in the first edition of the League, she crafted her way into the finals to set up an epic clash with her senior star, Sania Nehwal.

The game between them was touted as the ‘clash of the titans.’ Though Nehwal got the better of Sindhu, she did give her a tough fight in the early part of the game. Saina Nehwal also went on to say that she has been a fine prospect for the country in badminton and her rise and consistency in the junior levels has proved her mettle as a player who would carry on for a long time.

She stated: “The way Sindhu gave me a fight in the beginning speaks a lot about her caliber as a fine player and her future looks bright.”

The biggest aspect of her career so far has been that even if she has not won matches, she has given her best shot at everything and continued to win the respect of people all over the globe in such a short time.

In any sport, be it cricket, football or badminton, we have always got the best talents from the globe. Every sport has churned out stars or legendary players from time to time. Though Sindhu has to improve vastly before becoming a legend, but her path is definitely correct at the moment.

I am pinning my hopes on this youngster to keep improving, keep winning and keep performing to outclass her opponents and finally take the burden from her senior players like Sania Nehwal and carry the torch forward in the field of badminton for our country. She has everything in her to achieve new laurels and set new standards for her successor. Truly, she is the ‘rising starlet’ in badminton for India. Hope she is given her due respect and is not forgotten by the people.