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Srikanth Kidambi is world No. 4
Srikanth Kidambi is world No. 4, More than Srikanth, who said ‘this is indeed a morale-booster for me. However, my responsibility will increase to corresponding levels,’ it is actually Gopichand, who is in a celebratory mood.
Move over all male shuttlers from India, Kidambi Srikanth is here! Unknown almost a year ago except to those in the badminton fraternity to emerging as the country’s poster boy in a span of 12 months, Srikanth achieved a spectacular high on Christmas, the day when the world men rankings were announced.
Occupying an envious number four, he has surpassed his mentor for all practical purposes, Pullela Gopichand, whose career best was five in 2001 despite the All England title in the same year.
More than Srikanth, who said ‘this is indeed a morale-booster for me. However, my responsibility will increase to corresponding levels,’ it is actually Gopichand, who is in a celebratory mood.
‘He deserves the accolades because it has been a dream year for him and all of us at the PGBA. But he should work on his strengths and weaknesses more than ever before,’ is the guarded opinion of the man who churns out champions at the drop of a hat at his Gachibowli academy.
In a way, Srikanth, the soft-spoken Guntur-born 21-year-old comes as the surest hope for Indian fortunes given that in India it has predominantly been the females who have been scaling dizzy heights.
On that count, the highly gifted Parupalli Kashyap has paid a heavy price for the apparent lack of consistency at the top. This is, notwithstanding, the golden run in Commonwealth Games this year.
Srikanth, after toppling Super Dan to win the China Open Super Series Premier, proved to one all that he was here to stay, and stay at the top. In fact, he dismantled the dreaded China Wall with a systematic but ruthlessly clinical precision.
Getting qualified for the year-end Masters was a significant first for an Indian male of recent times. Making it to the semifinals on debut in the crème de la crème was the stuff of outstanding champions.
Today, as India gets to welcome the New Year with Srikanth as the world number four, he remains hopeful of ‘delivering my best in the coming season.’
Gopichand reminds him and every Indian shuttler that 2015 will be a particularly crucial one because ‘it happens to be the Olympic qualifier year.’
By: Sridhar K Penna
