Badminton Asian Team Championships: On comeback, assertive PV Sindhu slam-dunks Chinese rival

Badminton Asian Team Championships: On comeback, assertive PV Sindhu slam-dunks Chinese rival

India’s finest contemporary shuttler PV Sindhu is on a mission to reclaim lost glory, and ceded territory.

The women’s singles Top 10 is prime real estate, and Sindhu was pushed to the edges of that town by a pair of Chinese second-stringers, Han Yue and Wang Zhi Yi, tumbling out to World No 11 last few months as she nursed a bad knee. At the Badminton Asian Team Championships, Sindhu returned after three months, and took a chunky bite out of Han Yue’s ranking points, feasting on a sumptuous 21-17, 21-15 victory to give India a 1-0 lead at Shah Alam, Malaysia. India trailed in the tie 1-2 after Ashwini Ponappa-Tanisha Crasto and Ashmita Chalihalowt in straight sets.

But Sindhu imposed her physicality on the first singles battle to send out a signal that she was ready to retake her Top 10 spot in the world.

It was her literal step forward, the decisive lunges to the forecourt that completely harried Han, as Sindhu’s attacking lifts teased and tested the Chinese defence to the limits. Sindhu’s overhead arsenal never lacked the power and it was a matter of better shot selection and varying the pace and angles before she resumed her routine aerial booming. But it was the below-the-tape shuttles and her countering of the drops that had become slightly suspect and was lacking in confidence. Han probed hard at the net, but Sindhu got there early and gave it a good whip to negate any advantage the Chinese fancied she held.

Sindhu got her half smashes and straight, deep hits going, hitting the ground running on her return for the first time since November. Han was a very promising junior from China once and has maxed her potential entering the Top 10, but she lacks the physical stomp or mental sturdiness of past best Chinese. She was left panting wildly even by Sindhu who didn’t even dip completely into her cross variations from the backcourt.

Han had smart ideas – to drag Sindhu on the wide flank defence, and keep things close stretching her across the body on the backhand. But Sindhu packed quite the punch on her quick drops, especially the fast pushes. The speed on the shuttle was quite good, showing no signs of rust, and she was 11-8 up in no time. Surprisingly, Han was already on her haunches, breathing heavily from the exertions of the rushed retrievals Sindhu forced on her.

Han would next try breaking the rhythm by going cross after Sindhu was affixed on a straight pendulum to reduce the gap to 12-13. But Sindhu would pull out some tweaked serves – a good subtle mix – and then some ruthless power to rapidly take the next 4 points.

Throughout the match, Sindhu would show a healthy response to holding leads and trailing, something she’s struggled with during her downturn when momentum shifts wreaked havoc with her mind. But here as soon as Han started to close down on Sindhu’s leads, the Indian would pull herself back together in a snap. The belief that she’s stronger than most of her opponents, which is so crucial for Sindhu’s game, seemed to be back in those moments when Han pressed.

It was after Han bagged her three straight point run to go from 12-16 down to 15-16, that Sindhu forged ahead with the stomping lunge to ferociously guard her leads. On the left front corner, Sindhu was impeccable as she transitioned from defence to bold attacks to tug back the lead to 18-15.

Sindhu took the first point of the match, and she finished the opening set, despite Han snapping at her heels at 19-17. Most crucially, she didn’t get bogged down by the below-the-tape bending defence when Han made her twist and turn. And all that defensive work rate, never saw her falter when attacking as she looked in control of rallies.

The first set pocketed, Sindhu was comfortable with 1-point leads for the Chinese in the second, never looking fazed by Han being marginally ahead. She continued to be proactive in the front, and Han’s poor body language and depleting fitness in fast rallies helped the Indian further.

Sindhu trailed 10-13, and despite being in front, Han had a horror service error at 13-12, just the tiny bit of opening for Sindhu to kick open the door. She played a commanding rally at 13-13, showing who held the controlling leash on the speed. The 28-year-old was then pinpoint accurate from the front right corner – that lunge again full of intent and not tentative like during her bad days and on 15-14, Sindhu had a sensation forehand lift from close to the net.

The lead gone, Han looked broken. It was only her first match too, but she looked inexplicably lung-busted by the end of it and it was 18-15 suddenly for Sindhu, the Chinese having led 10-13 not too long ago. The punch on Sindhu’s strokes saw her saunter to 20-16.

It has never been in doubt that Sindhu’s physicality can help her bulldoze any opponent. From when she was 17 to now at 28, she has shredded three generations of Chinese players. But when she’s hesitant at the net – like Hulk who’s not greened up enough – her attack melts down like few others. Against Han Yue, Sindhu showed she was ready to assert her physicality once more.

Her lofty standards mean Sindhu will need to maintain this sass against the bonafide Chinese biggies, Chen Yufei and He Bing Jiao, the Top Five Chinese too, for anyone to truly declare she is back. None of the big names are at this tournament. Her game will need to be far more sharper, and not wilt when peppered.

But in starting her season with a strong win over Han Yue, who’s World No 8, Sindhu is declaring her intention to clamber up the TopTen and set up those elite weekend wars against the biggies. Sindhu’s V-Day return was about not-so-gently reminding the world she belongs to the top tier.

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