India's first rock n' roll badminton champion

Random reflections on Anup Sridhar, National Champion 2005

Bangalore, 15 February 05:

Wonder what was going through Melvin's mind when Anup Sridhar was on match point in the National final against Abhinn.

Melvin was the service judge during the final... just as he had been during a junior final between Anup and PV Sajith at Calicut a few years ago. That day, he had faulted Anup and the kid mouthed an expletive that shattered the experienced referee.

The umpires had gotten together and threatened to "take the matter further"... it was only because Anup was a product of the Academy that they refrained from doing so; they wanted an apology... which Anup, after some dithering, did finally offer over the phone.

The ways of fate, thought coach Balachandran, as he sat coiled like a spring on the sidelines.

--

THE difference between Anup Sridhar 2005 and his earlier versions can be encapsulated in the loud shout -- "What's my name!" -- that Anup hurled at opponent JBS Vidyadhar after winning the first game of their quarterfinal match during the recent Nationals.

The glare that accompanied that shout was a challenge... although the phrase itself made no sense... it was the equivalent of saying: "Get this straight -- I'm the Boss!" It was more than just verbal jousting; one suspects it came out of a deep well of mixed-up emotions: desire, anger, confidence, relief. After that close quarterfinal bout, the semis and final were complete washouts as Anup decimated Utsav Misra and Abhinn Shyam Gupta respectively.

After that quarterfinal, Anup sat around, silently watching the proceedings. A chap who'd been watching went to him and said: "Congrats... you can go all the way." And he just nodded, as if he'd only half-heard what he'd said. Right through to the final, he hardly mixed around, kept mostly to himself...

The Anup Sridhar of 1999... there was this tournament, the All India Mini and Junior Ranking Tournament at Bangalore. Anup and Abhishek Bakshi had reached the junior final. The two were warming up, and Anup had this wide grin, nodding affably at Abhishek and everyone else -- while Abhishek himself was dead serious. He barely acknowledged Anup as he went through his warm-up. He even had a nose plaster -- the thing that was popular at one time, it was supposed to increase air intake -- and he duly went on to wipe out Anup in the final.

Since then, Anup has been known as a guy with talent but no fire. He was a nice guy who sometimes had temperament problems on court that were self-destructive. He wasn't cut out for the big matches. He hadn't even won any National title before this, in any age category. That must be a record for a National senior champion. In matches where he had big leads he would proceed to blow it up.

And when he threw away an 8-0 lead in the first game against Gopichand in the Lucknow tournament earlier this season, a lot of people shook their heads. Gopi had gotten to him, Anup lost his head and the match... and coming into this tournament, few gave him a shot at the title.

Watching the final from the sidelines was a nerve-wracking experience for Balachandran, coach at the BPL Padukone Academy, where Anup trains. Balan had hardly slept the previous night, wondering what was in store. Did the kid have the temperament to win a Senior National final?

Now, even as Anup racked up point after point, Balan remained tense. Abhinn was looking totally outmatched, but Balan kept expecting a sudden turnaround. Then, with the match well under control, Anup started arguing with the chair umpire about the shuttles... and Balan looked set to jump onto the court and twist the noodle off the guy. "C'mon, c'mon," he yelled at Anup, hoping the crazy kid wouldn't start throwing tantrums, getting cautioned, and being shown a card, and Abhinn rallying his way back.

But that didn't happen. For this Nationals, instead of allowing his temper to affect his own game, he used it to intimidate his opponents and power himself onward.

He kept his grip on the match, becoming one of the youngest men's singles champions at 21.

Afterwards, Anup recalled how important the Indonesian trip had been. "The conditions were really lousy: the accommodation, the shuttles, and everything else. It showed me the importance of playing in all conditions." He'd been to Indonesia last year for 20 days, as part of an Academy initiative.

So... what made the difference here? "I really wanted to win this one. That match with Gopi, that really pissed me off. A lot of people came and told me that if I didn't change my attitude, I'd never win anything. Next tournament I beat Aravind in the final."

You know what this guy likes? He likes rock -- heavy metal. He likes Formula One. He likes Marat Safin.

See? Who was the last champ really into this sort of stuff? Gopi was aggressive on court, but the most eloquent thing he'd ever said was "C'mon Gopi!" during that wonderful All England semifinal against Peter Gade. Otherwise, it was mostly "Yeah!" accompanied by a withering glance. But Gopi likes meditative music... Abhinn and Chetan don't look like they have the stomach for anything racier than movie songs.

In Anup we have the brash City kid, colourful, unapologetic and unafraid... and who can complain if that attitude helps him win on court? He's grown up; even Melvin thinks so.