While Indian sports fans were celebrating India’s success and then mourning India’s drubbing at the final of ICC Cricket Champion’s Trophy in England, two Indians were silently creating history in Badminton in Indonesia, a thousand miles away from England.
When the Indian cricketers were defeated by Pakistan in the CT 2017 final on 18 June, Srikanth Kidambi lifted the men’s singles title at the Indonesian Open.
HS Prannoy Kumar has also excelled in the same tournament – with sensational wins over reigning Olympic Silver medallist Lee Chong Wei and Olympic Champion Chen Long in back-to-back matches.
Had Prannoy not lost a closely-fought semi-final, having the two Indians face off in this year’s Indonesian Open final would have been a dream come true.
But the dream run didn’t stop there. Srikanth, who has been in the best form of his life, went on to lift the Australian Open on 25 June.
Srikanth lost in the Singapore Open summit clash in April this year, before winning in Indonesia and then Australia. In Singapore, Indian shuttler Sai Praneeth lifted the title.
As for Srikanth, the fraternity believes that he is undoubtedly the most aggressive player in world today.
What all three shuttlers have in common is the man who has been working relentlessly to transform this sport in the country – Pullela Gopichand. Srikanth, Praneeth and Prannoy have all honed their skills at the Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad.
The legendary Prakash Padukone was a shining Indian star in Badminton in the early eighties. After that and till the onset of this decade, the only big moment was when Gopichand won All England Championship in 2001.
The turning point came in 2008, when Gopi opened his academy. He was supported by an industrialist on the condition that Gopi produce an Olympic Medallist (and Gopi has already produced two).
His first notable pupil was Saina Nehwal. On 22 June 2009, one headline in the sports section of The Times of India, immaculately summed up the arrival of a new pedigree of Indian shuttlers.
“It’s Saina, Not China,” the headline read.
A day earlier, a teenage Nehwal had stunned the Badminton world by defeating World No 3, Chinese Wang Lin, to lift the coveted Indonesia Super Series Title. That was a remarkable achievement.
Saina went on to win a bronze medal at the London Olympics. She had been under Gopi’s tutelage until she decided to be mentored by Vimal Kumar last year.
In Rio 2016, Gopi upgraded India’s bronze from 2012 into a silver medal, as PV Sindhu reached the final of the women’s single tournament. Gopi’s dedicated coaching was key to her victory.
Sindhu followed Gopichand blindly during her path to Rio 2016. He planned the minutest of things for her. He banned her favourite foods (chocolates and Hyderabadi biryani) and took away her mobile phone. He became her coach and guardian, rolled into one.
At his academy, Gopi toils as hard as the players themselves. He reaches court at 4 am without fail and starts training. His wife Lakshmi, who represented India in Badminton at Atlanta Olympics in 1996, always has his back.
The fitness level and agility of the players under Gopi has been unparalleled. Some of the rallies during Prannoy’s matches left spectators spellbound and mesmerised.
The momentum is on and I won’t be surprised if Gopi produces multiple medals at Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
After women shuttlers like Nehwal and Sindhu, Gopi’s boys are all set to rule the world of badminton.
Gopichand is undoubtedly the Dronacharya of this era as no one apart from him has created such large legion of champion players in a sport.
Few years down the line (may be a decade later), Gopichand may very well become one of the greatest legends of Indian sports of all times.
And yes, the gentleman who helped Gopi set up the academy in 2008 must have much to gloat about today.
Let’s hope India brings home multiple medals from the upcoming Tokyo Olympics 2020.
(The writer is an IIT graduate with a passion for sports, history and politics and can be reached at @pankajag1973)
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