Badminton: How Treesa-Gayatri, Ashmita, and 17-year-old Anmol helped India recover after Sindhu’s defeat in epic BATC semifinal win against Japan

Inevitably, Japan knows first that the sun has risen. It shot up on the horizon for World No 6 Chiharu Shida and Nami Matsuyama, in the form of Treesa Jolly leaping high as if for a smash and sending a glowing soft drop instead, when standing behind a resolute Gayatri Gopichand, who was running rings around the top Japanese pair with her stellar placement of the shuttle from the front.

Then, former World champion Nozomi Okuhara was left shielding her eyes when the bright spark of Ashmita Chaliha and clean rays of her left-handed smashes dispersed on either flank of the court, at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam, Malaysia.

India’s original star PV Sindhu might have had a rough day losing the opening singles. But in Anmol Kharb, ranked No 478, the team’s challenge had a blazing comet’s tail that swept past World No 29 Natsuki Nidaira in the fifth rubber, giving India a gleaming 3-2 team win and a historic entry into the final. You’d have to be quite foolish to declare a sunset on Sindhu’s career, but the Japanese team will be the first to aver that India’s brilliantly chaotic badminton system is on the verge of lighting up a sky full of exploding shooting stars.

The semifinals day had started with dread. On Friday against the Japanese men, Srikanth Kidambi was left with ghostly pallor after former great Kento Momota resurrected a decider set from 12-19 down to win 22-20, and India were pipped 3-2. Then early morning, Sindhu just didn’t get started against Aya Ohori whom she’s beaten 13 successive times. By the time the Indian talisman shrugged off her listlessness and found her range with 9 straight points going from 10-19 to 20-20, it was wretchedly late to bag her 14th. India were 0-1 down.

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What a match, what a win!

Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly defeat world No 6 Chiharu Shida and Nami Matsuyama in a 3-game thriller. Super rally at the end and a big celebration from the Indian camp. Tie is alive, IND 1-1 JPN.https://t.co/FXqFWLztZZ pic.twitter.com/570uriY5Hk

— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) February 17, 2024

Japan were in Malaysia with two doubles pairs in the world’s top 11, making Sindhu’s match crucial to eke out that one point. In a move that raised eyebrows, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly were promoted to play first singles agains Matsuyama-Shida, ahead of Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto. Sindhu was to play doubles in a tactical ploy.

It was a tricky faceoff even without the persistent refrains that the young Indian partnership should be torn up, and Treesa paired up with Tanisha. The comments section on the YouTube stream for the match was full of it, even post their 21-17, 16-21, 22-20 stunning win. Because allegedly, Gayatri’s smashes lack the sting.

A Japanese women’s doubles pairing is a perfect specimen to explain that international women’s doubles is seldom-to-never about slam bang smashing. Rallies go on forever, defenses are gobsmackingly patient and world-class on the circuit. Hardest smashes simply get retrieved, ask Ashwini Ponnappa who once held the record.

And as Treesa proved at 21-20, a soft drop to the empty front court after getting opponents scuttled and on same side, works far better to clinch winners, than the seven prior whacks she fiercely sent down. You need a partner to dupe opponents into bunching up on the same side using every inch of the court with smart placements, and create those gaps – a thankless job. It’s where Gayatri’s excellent net interception and puppeteer skills come into play.

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What a delightfully deceptive service return winner from Ashmita Chaliha to defeat Nozomi Okuhara. She always had the skills, and today she paired up with consistency.

Big win.

🎥 BATC https://t.co/0AAtdYOerC pic.twitter.com/YQLtUIbk34

— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) February 17, 2024

The undimming star however was Treesa, perhaps the day’s best performer. The Japanese attacked her relentlessly hoping to draw out blood-rush mistakes out of her, but she just never ceased to mix it up, lacing her attack with the clever lifts and drops. The Indians led 19-13, then both logged in errors into the net. Then both recovered to play the decisive points like pros. In the final rally of 33 shots, Gayatri sent one flat and so close to the net that Matsuyama couldn’t evade without flinging out.

Chaliha played the biggest name from the Japanese side. But she was so confident in exploring the expanse of the court and exploiting Okuhara’s limited reach on either side that the former world champion stood no chance. Chaliha ran her ragged, driving in the knife with low retrieves to the flanks. Her cross smashes hit the ground like thunder as she won 21-17, 21-14. Chaliha doesn’t have a particularly proficient net game, but her back-court deep hitting proved enough.

Ashwini-Sindhu playing second doubles, couldn’t make a dent, though not from want of trying. Then it was on 17 year old Kharb’s shoulders to show India the dream of an upset against Nidaira. Kharb made the Japanese scurry to all four corners as she won 21-14, 21-18. Two junctures stood out in her unhurried, meticulous gathering of points, 11-9 and 17-15 in the second. The youngster strung Nidaira along the two forehand corners, like a harp, and suddenly snapped it to the opposite backhand corner. Next she pinned her to the back, and lulled her into a pattern before ‘aw-snap!’-ing her to the front.

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It was a calm accumulation of points, using variations and mostly consistency without trying anything fancy. After the power-bulldozing of Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, Anmol Kharb comes along with a merry chirpy unfussed temperament and reasonably reliable strokes. There’s nothing particularly dazzling, but just the reassurance that the sun will rise every day. It’s what Indian badminton needed.

The Japanese didn’t know what hit them, just that the Indian sun was up. And there were smiles and cheerful chants all around.

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