A tier-based domestic circuit will bring in the big names

The All-India Ranking tournament concluded at Mumbai this week. The tournament was played at the recently-renovated air-conditioned courts of the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Sports Complex at the NSCI Club from August 27 to 31. The tournament carried a purse of Rs 5 lakh. The Indian players – the budding ones and the rest I mean – were probably relieved that the tournament was conducted at least. It was originally scheduled from 8-12 June 2011 but later postponed. The domestic circuit has been developing some disturbing trends. Tournaments are getting rescheduled and even cancelled at times and top players are either not participating in the events or withdrawing their entries at the last moment. So in this tournament too we missed the opportunity of seeing the big guns display their skills. World No 5 Saina did not participate as she is preparing for the Olympics, World Championship bronze medallist Jwala Gutta had to attend the Arjuna Award ceremony in New Delhi on 29 August. The new kid on the block PV Sindhu withdrew due to the forthcoming Youth Commonwealth Games in the Isle of Man from 7 September. Former national champion Chetan Anand was unavailable due to some contractual obligations of the European Club he plays for. The stalwarts in the men’s singles like P Kashyap, Ajay Jayaram, Aravind Bhat and Anup Sridhar withdrew citing illness or injury. This resulted in the tournament being robbed of its sheen. Let me attempt to take up both sides of the story. [caption id=“attachment_76704” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Top shuttlers like P Kashyap (L), Saina Nehwal and Jwala Gutta (R) should participate in domestic tournaments to give budding players a chance to compete against the best. AFP”]  [/caption] With the sport becoming very competitive and professional and with the players having adequate funds to participate in international tournaments, the tournament schedule of each player is decided well in advance. However, the calendar of domestic tournaments is generally tentative. This results in players not being able to factor in the Indian tournaments into their schedule. This is the major grievance of the players. Also, some players claim that the level of badminton in these tournaments is not challenging enough and the style of badminton played in India is very different as compared to abroad. So participation in these tournaments will not help them perform any better at the international level – which is the ultimate goal after all. Therefore, it is not worth cutting into their training schedules for these tournaments. The organisers have their share of grievances too - mainly the lack of top players participation in the tournaments. Due to this sponsors are hesitant to come forward. In fact the postponement of the recently-concluded All-India Ranking tournament in Mumbai from June to August was due to the same reason. However, before we attempt to comment on this chicken-and-egg dilemma there are a few other points to be considered. The paucity of domestic tournaments results in a majority of the players being unable to compete and showcase their potential. What is the purpose and what motivation do players have to train all year round if there are only one or two senior tournaments conducted annually? On the other hand, the players are guaranteed a place in the national squad without being tested at the domestic level. This could result in a biased and unfair selection of the national squad purely because all players have not been provided an equal opportunity to be selected. Given the argument that the elite Indian squad is much stronger than the rest and hence is selected also does not hold water. Apart from Saina, the rest have almost always struggled against domestic competition (whenever they have played). This has led to many top players being accused of shying away from participation — since they are already in the elite national squad, they would not like to risk losing at the Indian tournaments that could threaten their place in the team. Also, the prize money on offer seems paltry and does not serve as an incentive anymore. As was in the past, the elite team selection is no longer based on national rankings. Hence, these rankings have been reduced to a mere formality. For example, the regulars in the national squad such as P Kashyap and Sanave-Rupesh are ranked 8th and 9th respectively whereas Saina and Jwala-Ashwini do not reflect in the rankings at all! I recall a few years ago, one had to be the national champion to be able to represent India. Now even the national champion is not assured of a place in the main team. So there are two ways to look at this – one wherein a democratic system needs to be followed where everyone gets equal opportunity to shine or then think that the ultimate glory lies at the international level so one must not expend their resources playing at home. The legendary Prakash Padukone has voiced his concern on the domestic badminton scenario. He feels the system followed by the Badminton Association of India is flawed. He suggests that the BAI should ensure representation of the top players at these tournaments by making participation mandatory if one has to be sent for international events. He further added that this would result in the top players yearning to earn their place in the team and provide the second rung of players a chance to compete with the best. Also, watching the likes of Saina compete in India will provide immense inspiration to budding stars and mileage to the sponsors. After all most top players all over the world participate in their national tournaments. It is suspected that P Gopi Chand, the current chief national coach under who’s guidance India has produced superb results internationally, has been encouraging preparatory national camps for international events over participation in domestic tournaments. There have been various suggestions to rectify this system. According to me the one that makes the most sense is the one wherein domestic tournaments should be conducted in a tier system. The tier may be decided based on the prize money, number of entries and number of ranking points awarded. With organisers being given the option to conduct tournaments with varying budgets, one would hope that more number of tournaments would be conducted throughout the year. If this happens the BAI can make it mandatory for players to play a minimum of 2-3 ranking tournaments to ensure their selection in the team. The players can then choose from these many tournaments and factor them in their annual schedule. Growing up, I remember the experience I gained from playing and watching tournaments back home. I sincerely wish that the current crop of players don’t lose out on this opportunity.