At this level, you can't afford to blink: Badminton World No. 3 Kidambi Srikanth

It was another long day at practice. Three sessions (from 7 to 9, 11 to 12:30, 5:30 to 7) have left Kidambi Srikanth, the World No.3, exhausted. With just a few days left before the Indian players leave for the World Championship that begin on 10 August, Pullela Gopichand is pushing his wards really hard. It is the final stretch and this is no time for the meek. You either sweat tears of blood now or cry later – at the highest level, they take no prisoners and your fall can be even swifter than your rise.

In between the practices, there is more discussion about badminton – about styles, about strategies; about strokes, about opponents. It is all consuming. Srikanth, however, isn’t complaining. Not one bit.

The World Championships are a yearly affair now and perhaps the allure to win them isn’t as strong as it once was but name one athlete… in any sport… who wouldn’t want to be tagged World Champion. And given that the 22-year-old has a real chance of winning the title, motivation isn’t even a factor.

Of course, there was a time when as a 16-year-old, Srikanth would look to skip as many training sessions as possible. Tell him, there is a chance to play a match, he would be there. Tell him, there is a tough practice session and he would go incommunicado.

“I would rather chill at home,” he says sheepishly. But those days are now clearly in the past.

Srikanth, who is also supported by the Go Sports Foundation, seems to be particularly enjoying himself but even he knows that the challenge for him is just beginning. His rise has been swift - still very much a kid when he beat Lin Dan at the China Open in November 2014 - but it has been consistent. There has been no plateauing… not yet at least… and while it took some by surprise in the first year – they have now firmly trained their eyes and their cameras on the Indian star.

Every move is now being studied and broken down. Things always get tougher in the second year – the other top players have their countermeasures in place. If Srikanth knew what to do against them, they also now know how to break him down. Early on, he would use many doubles strokes to misdirect singles stars but now that is a known trick and not as productive for him.

“The challenge for me now is finding ways to keep my game effective. The attacking game is what works for me. So I can’t just abandon that. It has brought me great success but I also realise that I cannot be attacking all the time,” Srikanth told Firstpost.

“I have to be able to rally. I have to figure out strategies depending on whether we are playing on fast or slow courts.”

When one becomes World No.3, it can sometimes give you a false sense of superiority. It can mean that you take the court expecting to cruise to victory. But the fact that Srikanth doesn’t do that is a reflection of that kind of athletes that Gopichand is raising in Hyderabad.

“When I step on the court, my sole focus is the opponent; him and him alone. The way he plays, the way I have to play. Everything else – including my ranking – doesn’t matter. And it shouldn’t either. At this level, you can’t afford to blink. If you lose your focus, it won’t matter if you have all the strokes in the world.”

And this is a lesson that has been drilled into Srikanth, over and over again. First, by his coach Gopichand and then by the victory over Lin Dan. The Chinese superstar is a legend – he makes you play to his strengths and as the young Indian had gone into the China Open final, the words of his coaches kept echoing in his mind. They still do.

“It was a while back but I can’t forget. I was playing really well and knew that I needed to keep playing that well. But Lin Dan was a favourite – I knew about him; I knew his game; I knew what he can do. I was nervous but my coaches kept telling him to treat it just as another match. ‘Don’t rush. You are playing Lin Dan, he will get back at some point but you have to hang in there till the end.’ I tried to do just that. I still try to do that. If you stay in the match, you have a chance of winning it.”

Srikanth’s strategy in the lead-up to the game is 100 percent Gopichand. They sit – Gopichand talks, Srikanth soaks it all up.

“His input is 100 percent. I train in a specific manner, try to get stronger in specific areas and plan for specific players but once the match begins, I know I am on my own. No one can tell me what to do during the rallies. There I need to trust my judgement and my skills.”

The World Championships aren’t going to be easy for the third seed. He starts off against Michael Fariman of Australia but could then run into World No.10 Jen Hao Hsu. If he gets past him, the 13th seed Hu Yun may await him. He may then come up against former World No.1 Lee Chong Wei or the 8th seed Wang Zhengming. And that is just the first four rounds. Chen Long, Lin Dan or even Jan O Jorgensen will add to the challenge in the later rounds.

“I want to win a medal. It is a tough draw and I have to play at my best from the start. There will be no chance to cruise. And while that is a challenge, it is also why I enjoy the game. The competition is what makes us step on to the court again and again,” Srikanth said. “That and the love of the game.”