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Indians throughout the country, were brimming with pride when two tricolours were unfurled, side by side, at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium during the early hours of the rather silent evening of the 65th Republic Day of India, courtesy our star shuttlers, Saina Nehwal and P.V.Sindhu. The two highest ranked Indians made possible a final that was expected roughly a year and a month ago, during the last edition of the Syed Modi Indian Grand Prix Gold.
The clash of the top seeds at this year’s final was their very first on the professional circuit. In a match that set a precedent of being one that will repeat many more times in the years to come, Saina Nehwal battled past P.V. Sindhu in two games, 21-14 21-17, to win her first title since the Denmark Open Super Serier Premier in October 2012.
Saina, was a lot more sharp and close to the form from her better days. It was clearly evident from the result. She was quick to take the lead in the first game, winning the first five points in a trot. It was then that Sindhu opened her account. By the mid-game, Sindhu started putting up a good fight and reduced her deficit to two points at 12-14. Yet, Saina outclassed her by taking the first game 21-14 in the very first opportunity.
In the game that followed, Sindhu tried to make early inroads when she took the first four points and was close to taking the lead at the halfway mark. Once again, it was the the top seed who took the lead and eventually won the match after taking the second game 21-17.
After plummeting to no.9 in the rankings chart last week, this win will surely give Saina oodles of confidence to take on her rivals at the world stage and outmanoeuvre them in the months to come. At 23, she is still a young player and her hard work will surely see her returning to the top four and probably adorn the topmost ranking one day.
Sindhu, on the other hand, is a rising star in the world of Badminton and along with Saina, has the capability to take on the best in business and make us Indians proud with their feats. After winning two GPG titles and the World Championships bronze medal, a feat that even Saina has found difficult to perform, last year, Sindhu has surely raised the expectations from her fans and should try to become more consistent st the Super Series tournaments.
On the day when two of his protegees made India proud, Pullela Gopichand also had his reward, one greater than seeing them grab the entire nation’s attention- the Padma Bhushan award.
The stadium was packed with fans who revelled at the Queen of Indian Badminton regaining her form and fitness and displaying some top notch badminton along with her younger compatriot.
