Well tried, but bad luck. That’s the phrase Indians had been so used to over the years. India coach Vimal Kumar admits he is from that era, but foresees a change in the outlook. Today, even as India narrowly lost 2-3 to Hong Kong in the Uber Cup, one player strove to prove him right.Saina Nehwal may only be 17, but she has already shown confidence that even seasoned campaigners like Aparna Popat and Trupti Murgunde struggled to display. Against a player ranked 26 places above her at 83, Saina blitzed through her match 21-6, 21-4 in as much time as it would take to pronounce her opponent’s name, which incidentally was NG Ka Shun. It was scintillating to watch, and amid all the complaints about the new points system, this was one girl who definitely didn’t mind the change in rules. “The new format suits my attacking style,” said the girl who had won the crucial fifth rubber yesterday as India beat fancied Thailand 3-2.Mind you, Saina was playing the third singles to keep the tie alive after both Aparna and Trupti lost their matches. There was nothing much Aparna could have done against former world No. 1 Wang Chen as she lost 10-21, 5-21. Trupti, on the other hand, again flattered to deceive, failing to rise to the occasion when it mattered.The India No. 2 would do well to take a leaf out of Saina’s book. The kind of maturity Saina shows on court has to be seen to be believed. This is her second Uber Cup, but she is playing for the first time, having just been in the squad in the last edition. Not for nothing has she beaten Aparna twice last year and it will be wise for the likes of Trupti to pull up their socks, because already, Saina is eyeing the first singles slot.Saina’s effort was complimented by Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurian, but yesterday’s star acts, Aparna Balan and B R Meenakshi failed to repeat their feat. And quite in keeping with the changing scenario, Vimal sounded unhappy that the Indians had lost, be it to the superior Hong Kong girls.He was not happy either when the Indian men surrendered the fifth match, the doubles against Singapore after going 4-0 up. “We are playing at home and we should make the advantage count. There are no excuses really if we come close and don’t qualify,” he said.
