Vimal Kumar : PV Sindhu must take full advantage of her tall height
Former badminton player Vimal Kumar feels that the All England Open semi-finalist PV Sindhu needs to make the full use of her height in light of her recent loss to Japanese Akane Yamaguchi. Kumar has also added that he believes Sindhu is very fit and capable of recovering fast after each rally.
The All England Open semi-final was a treat for sportspersons all over the world as the epic nail-biter played between India’s PV Sindhu and Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi ended with the latter as the winner, but with a fight that would be remembered for a long long time. Sindhu went down fighting in as Yamaguchi defeated her with a score 19, 19-21, 18-21. Former National Coach Vimal Kumar has voiced his concern about Sindhu and stated that Sindhu makes full use of her long stature and take charge of the game.
"She plays well at the net but when players push the shuttle to the back of the court, all she does is either clear it or hit very hard. She has to take advantage of her height and reach a little more and play shots judiciously," Kumar said, reported ToI.
"She must develop deceptive, faster clears, sharp drop shots and clips to pin the shuttle down. She also has to work on the deceptive half smashes on the run to the back. Sindhu has a bigger hit than other girls but it can fetch points only when she finds the lines consistently. She will be more effective and efficient against these defensive girls only if she works out a fine combination of these strokes," said Kumar.
Kumar heaped praise on Sindhu’s Japanese opponent, as he added that they studied Sindhu’s game very well which helped them read all her movements of the court. Kumar claimed that Sindhu felt right into the Japanese trap which ultimately cost her the match.
"I feel sad for PV Sindhu. The women’s singles semifinal at the All England Championships against Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi was a wonderful match. Sindhu played similar matches in the earlier rounds too, stretching to three games. It is obvious she is being drawn into it by players such as Nozomi Okuhara and Yamaguchi,"
"Being defensive players, Okuhara and Yamaguchi are good at running, retrieving and dishing out one rally after another. They have worked this plan to perfection and Sindhu invariably falls into the trap whenever they prolong the rallies," added Kumar.
