Sankar Muthusamy: A retriever on the attack

Far too early to talk about Olympics – because many a junior career falls apart along the way, and Sankar is content on learning, leaving medal ambition for a later day. Ahead of the Asian meet, he was busy gleaning out aspects of three of the world’s finest left-handers – Lin Dan, Carolina Marin and Kento Momota. “Lin Dan because of what he did to opponents,” Sankar laughed on the day he was interviewed. No, not thumping opponents and outplaying them to global titles, but something more germane. “You know, how he lands very good pressure on opponents?” he said, of not merely the kill shot, but the lead-up to the winner. From Momota, he hopes to learn deception at the net. And from Marin, not just the aggression, but the quick-thinking brain.

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What Sankar boasts fundamentally – though he’s not one to brag – is a focus not often found in teenagers, speed in his retrieves (naturally strong footwork) and a new-found creativity in constructing points so one sees a brain at work on the court, in sync with the naturally elegant left-handed game. “Let’s start with what he’s bad at, because he’s only 15, not an age to hype up anyone,” begins coach Aravindan Samiappan. “Till 13, he was so defensive, he realised he’s not winning anything even if he has the best stamina in the country,” he says. Retrieving endlessly got him the claps and an exit sign on Day 1. “He realised he has to attack and was very honest about his weakness. Net was not his strength.” This was midway through 2017.

“We taught him to get fed up of the rally,” Aravindan recalls of his own comic impatience with his ward playing timelessly (and aimlessly). “He added smashes and drives to his existing quick speed. He started playing very good drops at the net, and creating opportunities by putting opponents under a lot of pressure,” he recalls.

Sankar has a decent lunge at the net – which is one of the most underrated skills in badminton. It also ends in some pretty crafty lifts and impressive court coverage. More than anything, he’s a rare player comfortable on slow courts, negotiating the strolling shuttle.

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While his Vijayawada outing finished with his first seniors medal – he lost in the semis – Sankar has come a long way since dropping tennis for badminton. “When I started in sport, it rained a lot outdoors, so I just wanted something indoors to play all the time. I’ve been very particular about my stamina from the start. But there was so much to learn – net game, attack, power-play and deception,” he says.

At Vijayawada, Sankar always had enough in his tank to reverse first-game deficits. He could read a game mid-match and make up huge leads as well as show composure on the big points. All of it will come handy when the unseeded Indian plays seventh seed Yonathan Ramlie of Indonesia, who’s 18.

Training at the Fireball Academy in Chennai’s Annanagar, Sankar made a serious coach out of him, laughs Aravindan. “His dad is my friend, so I started coaching him and his sister Laxmi Priyanka, 18. Then he became an instant local hit, so now I have confidence to coach two more batches at six courts in Annanagar,” he says. The facility also has a pool and a gym.

“His father was a Port Trust employee, but from the beginning, the family was sure the kids will make a career in sports. He was always very focused, which surprised me. And then the left-handed strokes,” he says as if not needing to explain the grace that comes as a corollary. That Sankar ate well, always keeping badminton in mind, also impressed the coach. “I took voluntary retirement from Port Trust but though I played tennis primarily, I’ll play a bit of badminton at the government courts. Now my job is to ferry him from school to courts to tournaments.”

The youngest among India’s contenders at the Asian meet, Sankar Muthusamy has time on his hands. Only, he feels compelled to attack now, and start winning big.