By Dev S. Sukumar, IANS
Kuala Lumpur : Anup Sridhar’s two big wins have seen everybody – from the public to the more hardened veterans of the game – speak highly of the Indian badminton player.
TV coverage of his matches has seen him become a popular figure, newspapers have splashed his pictures, and some long-timers were even heard commenting that he could win the World Championships.
“It will be Anup against Sony Dwi Kuncoro,” said former sports reporter Dan Guan Cin to a friend standing by, just before the Indian ace’s match against world champion Lin Dan in the quarterfinals Friday.
“He’s a replica of Prakash Padukone. I’ve seen Padukone. Handsome and stylish.”
Dan was sports reporter with The New Straits Times and has covered match reports of the greatest badminton players of the 1980s, including Padukone, Rudy Hartono, Han Jian and others.
Sridhar had the crowd backing him so vocally it seemed as if a Malaysian was on court. Lin Dan pulled through a tight first game, and Sridhar did not have enough in reserve to trouble the top seed in the second. It is likely, though, that the Malaysians will keep a fond eye out for him the next time he plays here.
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No messing with Natu
Indian umpire Girish Natu, a well-known face on the international circuit, had umpired a contentious match between Chinese world doubles champions Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng and local hopes Tan Fook Choong and Lee Wan Wah.
With a partisan crowd roaring for the home favourites, and likely to boo any bad decision, Natu had quite a job on hand. The Malaysians recovered from a first-game loss to upset the world champions.
After the match, a sour Li Yongbo, chief coach of China, went up to Natu to complain about the service judge.
Natu smiled good-humouredly – a tactic he regularly employs during tense match situations – but offered no solace to the coach. “Li is a good friend, but he complains when his team loses,” he said. “It’s always tough when you officiate matches in which a home favourite is playing.”
Natu is a respected international coach, having officiated at several high-profile tournaments, including the Thomas Cup, the Uber Cup, Super Series events, and most importantly, the men’s singles gold medal match at the Doha Asian Games last year.
The match, between world champion Lin Dan and Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia, had come after a fortnight of bitter statements by each about the other. “You could feel the tension, because of the run up to the final and the comments on either side,” said Natu.
“During the final, they were playing all kinds of tricks. Things like flicking the fallen shuttle away from the other player, taking extra time between points… but I knew what they were up to, and they knew that I knew. They put pressure on your temperament, but if you are firm and consistent in your decisions, they’ll respect you.”
Natu has been umpiring for 25 years, the last 10 of these on the international circuit. He began umpiring as a 19-year-old. Now 43, he is an A-grade international umpire – the only Indian at that level – and a member of the Events Committee of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
He comes from old badminton stock – his grandfather was the founder-secretary of the Pune Badminton Association.
Over the years, he has gained a reputation as a no-nonsense kind, who smiles indulgently at players, but refuses to let them get away with abuse.
He is one of the few international umpires who does not hesitate to flash the red card at players as a disciplinary measure — he had famously flashed the card at a Malaysian doubles player during the Thomas Cup in Japan in 2006.
During one contentious doubles match, a Danish player stepped up to him and threatened to break his spectacles.
“Go ahead,” said Natu, smiling at him and offering his spectacles. “But I can still see enough to fault your service.”
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Managing the championships
Malaysian Indians might not figure on the playing arena, but they are a noticeable majority in the local English media and the company managing the event.
Sports Media Promotions (SMP), which is organising the event for Badminton World Federation (BWF), was started by Thirunaavuckarsu (Arasu for short), two years ago. The company handles badminton and tennis. One of their next big events is an exhibition match between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras in Kuala Lumpur later this year.
“Badminton hasn’t had good publicity for 30-40 years,” says the 43-year-old Arasu, formerly a reporter with the national daily Star. He founded SMP two years ago and is now its Chief Executive Officer. The company is contracted with BWF to run its prestigious Super Series events.
Arasu thinks badminton has a lot more potential than has been so far exploited. “Globally badminton is nowhere near tennis. This year, for the first time ever, we have had over 100 hours’ televised coverage in Malaysia alone. Matches are being beamed over two channels. We have had promotional events at the venue. Tennis is 100 steps ahead, but we have made a good start.”