Syed Modi Badminton: PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen find their mojo again | Opinion

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PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen bridged the gap between potential and performance, in the process winning important BWF titles after long gaps. For the two biggest names in Indian badminton, it turned out to be a Super Sunday in Lucknow in the women's and men's singles finals of the Syed Modi badminton tournament.

The packed stands, a welcome sight for an Olympic sport, was a sight to watch as two superstars who have been dealing with the inner demons came out firing to win titles which will restore the confidence.

It's a major boost after the negativity of the Paris 2024 Olympics, where both Sindhu and Lashya had been hyped as medal prospects. When they fell in Paris, critics who know little about the sport started talked about a lack of killer instinct and how much money has been wasted on their training, physios, coaches and other minute details.

Sport and returns cannot be measured in such a myopic manner. There is investment and returns will come, that's what these two finals on Sunday proved in December, even as most players in different disciplines have already slipped into a winter break.

Watching the spectators dressed in woollens and the two players on the court was so different, as they were sweating and steaming into form. First, Sindhu, who has been described by some as 'past prime' and incapable of winning more titles.

If you had watched her through the tournament, she has been calm. And when she needed to crank up on Sunday, it was like that old car which suddenly bursts into energy and eats up the miles on a race track.

That was the Sindhu one got to see in action against southpaw Wu Lou Yun from China. It was a match which could be decoded into two parts, where Sindhu won 21-14, 21-16.

The fact she won in straight games offered proof she was not going to waste too much time on court. Languid in her court coverage, impressive in flight when she jumped and went for the smash or half smash, given her height of 5 feet and 11 inches, Sindhu stood tall.

But the best part midway through the second game was how she read the shuttle drift inside the arena. Obviously, in a sport like badminton, the shuttle drift is an important factor with temperature controlled.

The way Sindhu read the flight and trajectory of the 'bird,' as it is also called, showed she was reading it far better. Yes, left-handers are tricky customers to deal with. But with the crowd behind Sindhu, she enjoyed it to the hilt and reeled off five points at one stage in the second game. It showed her hunger.

For those who feel Sindhu is past prime, she has answered many. Most important, to find her mojo back is important, as she posted a photo of herself with her father PV Ramanna, plus her new coach, physio and trainer. At 29, Sindhu is not getting young. She is tall, has to stretch and bend more.

In her quest for excellence she changes coaches. It's her comfort zone, it's her choice who she hires with massive support from the OGQ (Olympic Gold Quest) as they believe she still has a lot to achieve.

Sindhu's post om X (Twitter) was emphatic, "2 years, 24 months, 8 days." That was when she last won a title. It was a reminder to herself she can keep going.

She was asked on the LA 2028 Olympics as well by the media, but Sindhu did not get carried away. She said she wants to focus on 2025, stay super fit and see how it goes forward. That way, she will be putting less pressure on herself.

If Sindhu defined her presence strongly, Lakshya was not to be left behind. A picture of agility, speed and the master of retrievals, Lakshya outsmarted Jia Heng Jason Teh 21-6, 21-7 in a rapid contest lasting just around half an hour.

Lakshya, like Sindhu, has also faced flak this year for not having won a medal at the Paris Olympics. Worse, he was not even spared by his mentor Prakash Padukone, after he lost a tough bronze medal match to Lee Zii Jia in his maiden Olympic campaign. Lakshya was shell-shocked and preferred solitude after that tongue lashing from Padukone.

But on Sunday, Lakshya was running like a hare on the court. The movement was fast, up and down, lateral. One of the 'picks', in what is also knowns as a retrieval, was centimetres off the ground as he reached it and ensured the shuttle was hit back across the net. That was defining. Overall, Lakshya did not let his opponent settle down even once.

"This year taught me to push harder, dream bigger, and believe deeper. Ending 2024 with a win at the Syed Modi International feels like a reward and a reminder: the best is yet to come," posted Lakshya on Instagram.

Surely, Sindhu and Lakshya will look to the 2025 season with hope and energy.