Saina rekindles hope

Hyderabad: It may have taken two years for her to make a categoricalstatement that she remains a top draw and the fire of a title contender still burns in every outing she undertakes.

The period since the epoch-making bronze at London Olympics may have been near torturous but Hyderabad's very own Saina Nehwal has proved over the weekend that she is just about touching peak form and is ready to take the best of them at their own game.

The Australian Open title is more satisfying because she conquered the top ranked Shixian Wang in the semifinals, which indicates that the otherwise impregnable China Wall could be breached with a little bit of tactical play.

This is particularly welcome considering that Indian badminton has flattered to deceive. Moreover, the fact of the matter is that with the men not coming to terms with the ruthless professionalism that rules the roost across the globe, there is an added responsibility on the shoulders of the women shuttlers.

In a way, this is perhaps overburdening their mental poise and the lack of equilibrium is getting reflected on the courts. Saina, P V Sindhu and the doubles combination of Jwala Gutta and Ashwin Ponnappa are bearing a heavy brunt as a result of the men’s ineptness to deliver.

Saina’s title triumph, in the circumstances, comes at the most appropriate time because two prestigious engagements are round the corner-the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in which the stakes are extraordinarily high for India.

More importantly badminton and shooting remain the country’s best bets for podium finishes. Perhaps, had the squabbles been resolved, a couple of medals could be expected from the boxers and the mat men.

Meanwhile, it suddenly seems like Australia appears to be a happy hunting ground for Indians, who are not into cricket. If Saina has been a thunder Down Under, so have been tennis trail-blazers, Leander Paes and Sania Mirza.

Sania proved that she still has some years in her with her showing in this year’s Australian Open women doubles while the ageless wonder and Olympic bronze medallist entered tennis folklore with nonchalant grace. By becoming the oldest player to win a Grand Slam title, Paes has demonstrated that he was as good as the younger lot.