Change in approach needed

IF GOPI CHAND'S performance at Seville World Championship was a sore one, the Malaysian Open was a disappointment. The Indonesian Open too caused concern. And if blisters were blamed for Seville defeat, the new format of seven-point game was held out as villain of the other two outings. Gopi's well wishers believe that these irritants would not stand in the way and the champion would be back soon to his winning ways. The media too exercised restraint and did not put the blame for the recent defeats entirely on Gopi. These are good signs and would help him to overcome the snags, without having to deal with additional pressure. (After all, even Handrawan, the World Champion lost to unseeded player).

The blisters have now gone. But the new format of seven points, best of five, is there to stay, at least till the Thomas Cup in February next year. It continued at Brunei during the Grand Prix finals.

Gopi is not the only player finding it bothersome to adjust to the new format. For the players who have styled their game on 15 point best of three format, their strategy, style and approach is tuned to that. Generally the game is in top gear after ten points & 151; it changes to an extent that slow starters at the ten catch up the opponents at 14 and surge ahead. Whereas the opponent might have consumed his energy by then, the slow starter who has preserved it comes with a burst to shock.

The players and the experts know that it is tough to change styles & 151; we know how changes in hockey & 151; first the surface then the stick, offside and penalty corner, have played havoc with the Indian team. Gopi Chand is usually, though not always, a slow starter. He takes time to come on top. That was amply shown in the Malaysian Open where he lost to an unseeded player in straight games and again at Indonesian Open where he lost the first two games. But once in command he took the next three games to win and enter the semi-finals.

In Brunei he lost the first game against Vaughan and Ji Xin Peng. But against Manaiky he started well and took 5-3 lead. Manaiky fought back and won the game and the next two too.Chinese players too find it difficult to adjust and the Chinese Badminton Association has made a representation to IBF. Stamina is the mainstay of Chinese players and the new format robs them of its advantage. Asian Badminton Confederation also prefers the 15 points format. During the Asian Satellite tournament, a commentator remarked that Prakash Padukone was of the view that the new format didn't suit Indian players. The reason: they are slow starters. They take time to settle down.

When we club all Indian players together in the category of slow starters, it could be attributed as a trait, evolved over the years out of trends in coaching or by emulating senior players. Such tendencies could surely be corrected through conscious efforts.

Gopi's recent performance was affected by several factors. The first in the series was too much of celebration in the wake of his victory at All England, which cut his coaching by two days a week for over a month.

The Seville Championship, say those who had first hand experience, was the worst ever world meet. There were no practice courts, no air condition, etc. No wonder some players including Gopi had blisters.

That forced Gopi to take 10-12 days rest, again affecting his level of preparedness. Came the department tournament immediately afterwards. He didn't have enough opposition to sharpen his game, he had an ankle sprain again putting him off for a week.

All these combined, and the high level of expectations added to the stress. Despite all these, it goes to Gopi's credit that he reached the semi-finals in Indonesian Open. But losing to the Indonesian and that too in straight games does call for change in approach. It may be recalled that IBF switched over to the new system in June 2001 after year-long trials all over the world. The idea was to reduce the load on players, who were plagued by injuries because of strain due to this overload. At the same time the new format with one and a half minutes rest after every game would attract more advertisers and make the game spectator and sponsor savvy, besides providing time to the players to recoup.

Not unexpectedly, the new format has caused turbulence, despite the time given for experimentation. In the new format burst of speed, allout attack from the word go would pay dividends. The adrenaline supply has to be at its peak from the time a player steps on the court. There is no time to have a feel and get into rhythm. So, the warming up has to continue till the players are called out to report on the court and then go bang bang.

J.R.JYOTI

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Section  : Sport
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