‘You’re In Titans Territory’ read a banner across the playing hall at Fullerton, California where fans stood out in a refreshingly non-darkened competition hall of badminton’s Super 300 US Open. You could see the spectators gasp, groan and gush as India’s eternal man Kidambi Srikanth and Japan’s newest shuttle semi-automatic, Yudai Okomoto, played out a classic in the Saturday semis.
The empty seats were so on-brand American for badminton, but the titan was indeed putting up a show for those that bothered to turn up. For, Kidambi Srikanth was on-brand too: chaotic, clumsy, cathartic and colossal. He took leads, squandered them by risking the lines, overturned a point that had gone in his favour, served into the net at match point, and finally sent a scary push – on the line again, before falling to the knees in relief. He played it fair, and for once, the universe didn’t slap him in the face for being nice.
Coach Parupalli Kashyap remembers the umpteen times in practice and matches when Srikanth calls it fairly if shuttles go out, and then gets really upset when the same straightforward fairness isn’t granted to him. “We had to tell him, because he would get very upset when things went against him. Just because he’s fair, doesn’t mean others would be too!” Kashyap laughs.
FILE – Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth in action. (Express Photo)
At the US Open semis, it was 10-8 in the decider.
Rallies were getting longer, and this one went to 17 shots. The last four were snappy, a blur. Yudai’s dribble caught the net chord on the 14th shot. Srikanth judged it well, picked it low below the tape. Yudai pounced for an aggressive tap. Srikanth, his racquet inches from the net turned his wrist and counter-tapped to the side. Yudai reckoned the shuttle landed wide. Srikanth had no way of knowing from where he was stabilizing his adrenaline from the eyeball confrontation. The point was awarded to the Indian. The Japanese was scandalised – he didn’t stop arguing.
Coach Sai Praneeth was by Srikanth’s side as it would have been 11-8. Yudai kept at it, the chief referee arrived. Srikanth, with a wry smile on his face as the predominantly Japanese crowd chanted “Out, Out, Out” went up to the referee and gave up the points. Exact words – unclear. Did he believe it had landed out? Unknown. Score changed to 10-9. What was important was Srikanth not afraid to fight again for that 11th point. He went up 11-9 with a tidy centre of the court smash. ‘He’s inspiring for the new generation, you know,” Kashyap says. “He’s lost so many matches from match point. But he gets up, gets ready, fights again. Standing again.”
Srikanth won the match 22-20, 15-21, 21-19, after graciously defusing an erupting Yudai. After Malaysia Masters, there’s another chance to win a title. The validation will mean much – it will reinforce his stubbornness with a titan’s playing style. Because Srikanth just doesn’t make life easy for himself, obstinately sticking to his high-risk game. But what’s the fun in badminton otherwise?
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At Fullerton, it was his 18-13 lead in the decider. Throughout the match, Srikanth had been flirting with the lines. He’s lost points, sets, matches, tournaments even, going for the risky shots to the lines and worse, trying to nail corners. But it’s the fun in badminton for him.
Coaches sitting behind pull their hair out watching him self-destruct. He has driven the unflappable Gopichand crazy. Kashyap has gulped, his eyes dehydrating like carrots and peas in Maggi masala sachets – watching Srikanth. But they know Srikanth. Sai Praneeth, another stroke-making wizard, understands like academy coaches tend to. “During the recent good run at Thailand, he was playing so many risky shots. 50/50 ones. He would turn around and says, ‘but it’s normal.’ I had to scream and tell him ‘DON’T play normal – or what’s normal according to you. Play dull. Play *#@&-all safe. But it’s Srikanth and today he pulled it off,” Kashyap says.
He plays high-risk, ridiculous, because he has the high-risk, ridiculous strokes, Kashyap explains. These are deceptions at the net, loopy drops, rush-of-blood followups or second smashes and worst of the lot – Srikanth’s insistence on wanting to land lobbed lifts and pushes exactly on the backline. Grade A cardiac-triggers. He would lose the longest rally of the day of 42 shots on one such risky net.
Srikanth Kidambi in action. (FILE photo)
So, Srikanth went error-prone from 18-13 to 18-18, after trading first two sets. Yudai had levelled at 18 nailing it with a down the line smash. But Srikanth judged ahead to match point as Yudai flobbed a similar down the line. At 20-18, Srikanth served into the net, his head hanging in dismay. 20-19. Not another one frittered – like against Antonsen and dozen others.
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But he would fight on. As soon as Yudai served, with pre-meditated haste, Srikanth would go for a push to the backline. Audacious. Deeply crazy cause it could have led to 20-20. But he pulled it off. Marching into the US Open finals.
“Sometimes he gets into the zone and opponent can’t do anything. Too much. At Thailand with hectic A/C, he hit everything with centre of racquet. Line, line, line. But he’s been consistent in training, taken responsibility for fitness. A title will give him confidence. Suddenly you start believing you have a chance against anyone,” Kashyap says. In the finals, he plays Sun Li Yang. But like they say in these parts of the world, like Gone With The Wind ended, ‘Tomorrow is another day.’