Typically the marquee clash at the Senior Badminton Nationals held in Guwahati was typically the Women’s singles final which saw Saina Nehwal take on PV Sindhu. It was expected to be a intense contest. After all, it pitted palms down the two best badminton participants of the country against each additional. It was also a clash between the original poster-girl, who put Native indian badminton firmly on the international map, and a player who made positive Saina wasn’t the only Indian female badminton player the world was discussing about in the singles arena. An aggressive Saina beat Sindhu in in a straight line games 21-18, 21-15. There had to be a winner in this match, but does there have to be a success and a loser in the judge of public opinion?
Immediately after Saina’s win on Sunday, there were reviews being drawn between the two participants. Multiple questions were asked. Is Saina better than Sindhu currently? Has Sindhu, who seemed to have the higher hand against Saina, for some moment lost ground? Was this just a good aberration?
But why are we perhaps comparing the two players? Why does there have to be a “better†player between these two incredible sportsmen, barring on occasions when they have on each other? They are each Indian players and at any multi-nation tournament, like the Commonwealth Games, Oriental Games or the Olympics, they win medals to increase India’s overall medal tally. Is it not enough to rejoice the brilliant individuality that both Saina and Sindhu bring to the badminton courts?
Saina Nehwal is 28-year-old (she turns 29 in March), while Sindhu is 23. An almost a variation of 6 years which is some sort of lot when it comes to worldwide individual sports, especially when it’s bodily grueling and relentless sport like volant. And in that context, Sindhu’s out of this world rise, which shifted the spotlight some sort of little away from Saina, seems to have also boosted the older player’s determination to show the world that she is definitely still very much a force to reckon with. And that’s a fantastic thing for Indian badminton overall. Balanced competition is something every coach encourages. But we, as fans of the particular sport, must realise that there is definitely a difference between that breed involving competition and the kind that numerous like to propagate, where the marking of a “superior†player is given to an individual.
Do statistics tell the whole story? Not always!
Think about this: In the overall international head-to-head between the two players, Saina retains a 3-1 lead of the several encounters, so far. The last one being at the 2018 Commonwealth Games women’s singles final, in which Saina won the gold and Sindhu got the silver. In the women’s true love world rankings, Sindhu is currently placed higher, at sixth place, while Saina is at ninth. Saina has an Olympic bronze medal, Sindhu has the silver. Saina has won a sterling silver and a bronze at the Entire world Championships, Sindhu has won two silver and two bronze medals. Last month, Sindhu beat Saina in the Leading Badminton League. Get the drift? Stats cannot always be used effectively in order to compare two players.
The knee harm Saina sustained in 2015 changed things drastically for her. But the way she has managed to bounce back from that is a testament in order to her mental strength. She recently publicly stated that the knee is not the particular same as it used to turn out to be, but that she has understood precisely how to get the most out of it. Sindhu, meanwhile, has spoken about the competition between her and Saina and how that will continue to grow. That’s the champion talk by both players.
If you ask any badminton expert or a guru, these people think that Saina and Sindhu jointly form a combination that makes Asia a major force in the entire world of badminton. Former World number A person Morten Frost of Denmark, who triumphed in multiple medals, including two World Shining silvers and two European Championship golds, recently said, “If you look ì•ˆì „ë†€ì´í„° 사ì´íŠ¸ internationally, women’s singles is the most competitive category in the world and you have two players in the top 10 which speaks a lot about your strength. â€
There’s nothing wrong with being a big supporter of one player over his or her compatriot. But it’s also important to celebrate every Indian player who is giving it his or her all to try and win. Even if it’s the player you are not a fan of.