The Singapore Open Super Series final between Kidambi Srikanth and Sai Praneeth was a historic one. It was the first time in the history of the sport that two Indians met in the final of a Super Series event, an honour, which before this was restricted to the traditional shuttling powerhouses of Indonesia, China and Denmark.
The two training partners squared off at the Singapore Open finals with Srikanth being the more illustrious of the two, being a former world number three. Sai Praneeth, on the other hand, was no pushover, enjoying a 4-1 head to head record against his better-ranked compatriot.
After a closely fought first couple of sets, Praneeth began dominating his more reputed opponent and ended up stealing the third and final set by a margin of 21-12 and along with it, his maiden Superseries triumph.
Apart from the top-notch badminton skills on show, what caught the eye was a gesture made by the victor to his compatriot on the losing side.
In what was undoubtedly a proud and emotional moment for both players, Sai Praneeth got hold of two Indian flags after his win and handed one to his training partner, K Srikanth, consoling him and celebrating victory for the nation at a time when he should have been over the moon celebrating his personal landmark.
Unsurprisingly, both shuttlers are proteges of ace player-turned-coach, Pullela Gopichand, who is also the trainer of Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu. Gopichand has turned Indian badminton on its head since he’s taken charge of the top talents of the country, Indians making it to the finals of events all over the world has become a commonplace.
This moment was appreciated by the plethora of Indian fans in the arena, who had come to watch the historic encounter. A rare moment of gamesmanship, in a time where examples of sportsmanship, even amongst athletes from the same country, are sparse, the crowd applauded the two players who graciously accepted the plaudits.
So rare are these moments that they are hardly heard of in the international arena, which is defined by cutthroat competition and the desire to go to any lengths to win, which often leads to unhealthy competition and unethical play, even among compatriots.
Such gestures show that inspite of such a demanding atmosphere, there is still space in sport for noble ideals like brotherhood, gamesmanship and empathy.
To those fans who watched the moment live on television in India and all over the world, the gesture stole hearts and delivered a message. A message that sport is a lot more than just winning or losing. It has the power to unite and has a tangible effect that raises spirits and warms the heart but still cannot be explained in any number of words.
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