The Thomas and Uber cup finished at Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi on 25th May. It was the first time that India hosted the coveted Badminton team event. China lifted the Uber Cup for record 13th time. Japan was the proud champion of Thomas cup for the first time in their history.
Much was expected from Indian eves and they delivered the goods by snatching first ever Bronze for the country. It was consistent efforts of players and BAI which paid. Silver linen was return of form for Saina Nehwal. She is trophyless for more than a year. Here in Uber Cup, she won all of her matches. Her most sensational win was against World Champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in QF. The victory worked as a tonic for rest of the squad and India secured their historic Bronze.
In the SF, both Saina and P V Sindhu won their matches to open a 2-0 lead. Saina was comfortable but Sindhu was stretched to the limit by Japanese Takahashi, winning by 26-24 in the third game. Ponappa-Gutta played with overconfidence and it paid heavily. It opened up the door for Japanese entry back into the game. Thulasi wilted under pressure. In do or die decider, India gambled two of their best star to play together. Both have little experience of playing together in the doubles. They both were tired and as a result lost to much inferior Japanese pair.
Indian men’s team got a tough pool. Surely, Malaysia and Korea were favourites to advance and it happened.
Performance of Japan is weak in Asian games. They have only 6 Golds in their kitty as compare to 36 by China. On the global stage, China-Indonesia-Malaysia makes an invincible trio. South Korea and Denmark has made some inroad in their territory. Japan is a new entry in the club. They have 4 men in top 25 of the world. Kenichi Tago is their leader at 4th rank. Their victory over consecutive 5 time current champion China was the upset of the tournament. Truly, the sun is rising brightly in ‘The land of the rising sun.’
India must search for a specialized doubles pair in both men’s and women’s sections. Indian men’s team was dependent on K Srikanth, Purapalli Kashyap and R M V Gurusaidutt. Team for Uber cup was relying on capabilities of Nehwal, Sindhu and Gutta-Ponappa. After that, it’s only hit and trial methodology. It is a sad account that no Indian pair features in top 25 of either men’s or women’s pair list of the world.
Badminton is fast emerging as a popular game in India. Crowd support was phenomenal throughout the championship. TRP was high. If BAI does make some serious efforts then Badminton can be ‘Game no. 2’ of India.