How doubles coach Tan Kim Her paired up Hari-Arjun after Satwik-Chirag

“Hari is very explosive and strong from the back court, and combines well with Arjun’s experience,” national head coach Pullela Gopichand says. “Not only does he have the power and gamesense, he has the quality to back it up on court. He has a lot of energy from the back of the court and is fearless.” Are we looking at the next big thing in doubles? “He is world-class,” Gopichand simply states.

MR Arjun (right) and Hariharan Amsakarunan (left) in action. (BAI Photo/File)

Tan has been reshaping Indian doubles ever since Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa, torpedoing opponents with his reading of techniques and styles. Before leaving for Japan to work with Park Joo-bong, he had paired Satwik and Chirag together, with the man left behind being MR Arjun. The 30-year-old from Kochi spent a considerable time managing injuries and rebuilding a career that hinges on a partner. After Chirag, his pairing with Dhruv Kapila hadn’t taken off. But Tan saw something in him combining with Hariharan, and after Arjun and Hari medalled alongside the Thomas Cup bronze winning team, the coach was ready to take the pair further.

Hari had come a long way to get here. He grew up in Mannargudi, Thiruvarur, where his father worked in the transport sector around the rajagopuram temple economy. The finances were not much, but his sister Deepika played badminton. “He also started in 6th standard. He always had a very good smash,” she says. He moved to Coimbatore for three years before being picked for the Gopichand Academy. His earlier pairing with Ruben Rethinasabapathi had to be dissolved for Tan’s vision to take shape, and even as the coach steadied Satwik-Chirag and brought Tanisha-Dhruv to a fairly good level, it was the MD2 slot that needed the most careful patching.

The Indonesia win did not happen by accident. The Malaysian junior World champions, considered wonderkids, had beaten the Indians at Syed Modi last winter, largely through the dreaded spin serve that both players in the pair possess. Most pairs have one. “Usually one player has the spin serve. Here both of them have it. So they get a continuous stream of points,” Arjun told the BWF. Tan was determined to neutralise it. “Coach Tan helped us to deal with their spin serve receivings. We had lost to them because of that at Lucknow,” Arjun added. In Singapore the previous week, Arjun had taken an unusual step, sitting on the coaching chair alongside Tan as Satwik-Chirag played the same Malaysian pair. “I sat with coach Tan for the Satwik-Chirag game, so we knew what to expect,” he said.

Even so, the Indians trailed 6-11 in the decider. Arjun sensed an opening once sides changed and they got onto the slower end of the court. Though he was personally struggling with his rhythm and poking at the serve, Tan told them to stick it out and stay sturdy. They didn’t back off. The dribbles turned into acute brushing affairs. Hari, who plays flat-fast rallies, defends fearlessly and jump-smashes from an L-shape on the left, said he felt pressure building but Arjun brought composure. “It was a drive-drive game in the end, but we were catching up which put pressure on them,” Hari told BWF. From 12-16 the Indians clawed back to 16-16. At 14-16, Hari charged forward for a backhand tap scythe. On match point, Arjun went after Kang, pinning him back, and then in a classic 1-2 Hari finished with a smash kill of his own to Kang. Just like that, with Tan’s foresight, India had their answer.

“We just wanted to hold our nerves in the first three strokes. We knew if we executed that we had a chance,” Arjun told The Indian Express.

In a famous May-June week for Indian badminton, Satwik-Chirag winning at Singapore and Arjun-Hari following in Jakarta, the dreaded spin serve neutralised and a quarter-final reached, the question that has hung over Indian doubles for years was quietly being answered.