Path-breaking moments have come so thick and fast recently in Indian sport that we seem to have become somewhat accustomed to seeing our top sportsmen perform well enough in the international arena. Even so, the victory of Andhra shuttler Kidambi Srikanth represents an extraordinary moment among the series of fine title triumphs that has begun to adorn the record books. This is the first time since the badminton Super series and Premier events were introduced that a male player is winning a title as Srikanth did in the China Open. In beating home favourite Lin Dan he exceeded himself, becoming the first shuttler to beat Lin in China in the last decade. Doubling the happiness, of course, was the victory of Saina Nehwal that catapults her back towards the top rankings.
The distinct change in the general performance levels of our sportsmen in disciplines like badminton could be owed to the far more professional ethos that marks the current national sporting scene. Not only have training methods improved along international standards but also our sportsmen are in no way discomfited by second-rate equipment as all of them have access in India to freely available top-quality rackets and good surfaces to play on in well-lit arenas. The average sports fan, however, still overreacts to both victory and defeat, unconcerned as he is with such philosophical thoughts as those of Rudyard Kipling who termed both success and failure as twin impostors. Indian sport has come some way in the last few years and it is our fervent hope that there will be more good news from sporting arenas.
