Racket broken, second string not quite there

8220;The likes of Nikhil Kanetkar and V Diju are so talented, but there isn8217;t that dangerous push from the back,8221; said Gopi. Surely that translates to a systemic problem as well? 8220;It does, and that is where the mindset change must happen. We must be talking about a big pool of talent, in several age-groups, each jostling for a place in the sun.8221;

Easier said than done. He realises it even as he says those words. 8220;It isn8217;t exactly like cricket, you see. It8217;s not just the money or the glamour factor that is missing, maybe. It8217;s all about clashing interests, of family butting in to decide what8217;s good and what8217;s isn8217;t for you, it8217;s about priorities in whether you train almost endlessly or study endlessly,8221; says Gopi. 8220;Kids grow to be 18 or 19, and just when he or she is set to go into heavy duty practice, and weight training and diet control and into lots of hours on court, it8217;s also time for the school leaving exams, the most important exam in your formative years. What do you do?8221;

This isn8217;t a new phenomenon, books have always been priority, then how did the likes of a Prakash Padukone or Pullela Gopichand or Vimal Kumar 8212; or, for that matter, earlier greats like Nandu Natekar 8212; emerge. Wrong question. That8217;s what you call the exception law of the world, or the law of exception, if you may. That8217;s when all manner of handicap becomes irrelevant, where sheer passion overrides docile ambition. 8220;You have to set your own priorities,8221; says Gopi.

Proably that8217;s what led to light Saina Nehwal. 8220;If you can show to your family that you8217;re among the top two or three, and that the world at large knows you, your family might say 8216;go ahead, be a sportsperson8217;,8221; says Gopi. 8220;Anything below that, you go back to your books. But the sporting world isn8217;t all about the top three. And not everybody can achieve that rank at that age, they take time.8221;

Yet many stick on. And for them it8217;s the crying need for a better system. 8220;You see, the word has to spread. The doubles teams are a very good example.

In badminton, to be a good doubles pair, you have to be from the same region, because you will have to be playing together for years on end and will have to know each other. So far we have only one doubles team, so who do they play against?8221;

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi are from different parts of the country, yet they form a good tennis team. Gopi says it8217;s 8220;very different8221; in badminton. In tennis doubles isn8217;t as important as in badminton. And badminton doubles isn8217;t only extraordinary to watch, it8217;s about the most competitive discipline around. You have to be totally attuned to each other8217;s pulse.8221; That8217;s where India fallout in the team events as well as the doubles. 8220;And to develop that you must have several more integrated championships in different age-groups around the world. You have to have that massive quantity.8221;

Yet, Gopi feels that the numbers available at the junior levels aren8217;t to little. 8220;There are enough of them around,8221; says he. 8220;You must ensure that they stick around, give them facilities on a par with the best, give them exposure, give them a chance to reach beyond themselves. That8217;s how you will shine. That8217;s where the medals and the world champions and the All-England champions will come from.8221;

Till then, we will have to depend on the rare geniuses who scour the Indian badminton skies.