26 June,2017 10:24 AM IST | Mumbai | Noel D'Souza
India badminton star Kidambi Srikanth continued to hit the purple patch by winning the Australia Open yesterday, his second consecutive crown after last Sunday's Indonesia Open
Pullela Gopichand
Pullela Gopichand
India badminton star Kidambi Srikanth continued to hit the purple patch by winning the Australia Open yesterday, his second consecutive crown after last Sunday's Indonesia Open. In two weeks, World No. 11 Srikanth has won all 10 matches he has played and that too against top-ranked players.
Srikanth beat World No. 1 Son Wan Ho (twice) and China's No. 1 shuttler Shi Yuqi. If that wasn't enough, he added another chapter to his success story when he outclassed reigning Olympic gold medallist and World Champion, Chen Long 22-20, 21-16 in the singles final yesterday.
National coach Pullela Gopichand hailed his ward: "It's been a fantastic run. The fact that he has won successive Super Series titles is one thing, but the manner in which he won them and the players he has beaten, is really special. beating Chen Long will be a special feat for Srikanth," Gopichand told mid-day yesterday.
Srikanth beat World No. 6 Long, who is also a two-time All-England champ, in 45 minutes. Interestingly, the Indian was down with gastroenteritis and diarrhoea just before the match. Coach Gopi is surprised by Srikanth's consistency considering he was out of action last season due to injury.
"When he was injured, I told him that this was just a passing phase. His consistency has surprised me, but there's no doubt that he has the caliber to beat the big players," added Gopichand, who particularly hailed Srikanth's attacking prowess. "His attack has been top-notch and his ability to change from a defensive approach to an attacking mindset has worked in his favour," Gopichand added.
There's still room for improvement, felt Gopichand. "Even today, he made a few mistakes near the net. He was not in control of his lifts," said Gopichand going on to hail the rising male brigade of Indian badminton.
"The focus has definitely shifted to men's badminton recently. Not only Srikanth, but credit to HS Prannoy, B Sai Praneeth, all these guys have ensured that the men has made headlines too," Gopichand signed off.
