Srikanth Kidambi is making slow improvements, we will have a better idea of his form by the end of the year. Srikanth is a player in transition with the new coaches. His confidence is still low, but better than last year. His performance at WC will be the indication of his confidence and form.
I'd say he just lacked self belief. Having said that I am very optimistic that he'll be in fine shape and form by the WC. Not exactly expecting a podium finish but won't be surprised if he does.
You were right . His game is in transition. I could see the changes he made in his game. He tried deceptive shots too. It was a good and somewhat satisfactory match for me. Till 11-9 of the first game, I sensed positive play from KS. He was confident on his smashes as well as made minimal errors. And then he sort of made a comeback from 19-12 down to 19-17 or 19-18 but then he was just two points away from losing the first game and when the opponent is of caliber of KM, you better not give him such an advantage. He was down 19-17 in second game and clinched four points consecutively to win the second game. Now this was what I liked specifically that he did not lose confidence and played till the end. Last time he took a game off KM was R32 of last year Indonesia Open. It's an improvement for sure. The worrying point is the way how he lost 11-12 points consecutively from 7-6 up to 19-7 down. Apart from that, he did well to minimise his errors and played a game which was a joy to watch. Hoping better performances from you, Sri. Keep working hard.
One worrying factor in his game is his over reliance on his tight spinning net shots to pay dividends. There was an instance in today’s match when he caught KM off guard in his short forehand corner with a sharp drop , but KM somehow ran the full diagonal and scrambled to get the drop back. However, in stead of playing a tap cross court to make KM again run the full diagonal, he trying to play a straight tight spinning net shot, found the net. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
May be i am wrong, i think his game is not suited to beat KM? But Sai Praneeth's game is. I feel like Sai has 2-2 record now. Having came to so close in beating Kento Momota this time, i think he will do it next time when he meets. Unfortunately, the match was on court 4. Damn Organisers.
Never say never Momota is a heavy favourite against KS always due to h2h but KS game is in transition, I won't rule out if Srikanth surprises us by beating Momota. Of course he should aim to beat the best if he wants to be the best. Momota stepped up his gear in third game and KS couldn't adapt to the game is what coaches and he should take care of. Srikanth has beaten Momota in the past but that was many years ago. Let's hope for a more improved performance from KS against KM ,a win would be an icing to the cake BSP also beat Momota a couple of years back and lost tamely to him at last year worlds. However, he's shown exceptional improvement since last month and stretching Momota to the decider till the end shows he was close yet so far. Consistency is what sets apart mediocre and top players.
That’s partially true as well. SK’s game relies more on a rhythm generated by his attacking style of play. Against KM’s solid basic game, forced not to play his natural game, he doesn’t have an alternate plan to construct points. His initial years of badminton as a doubles player kinda explains his inefficiency in basic singles game. The rest of Indian MS players have a pretty decent basic game Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Imo it was the first time we saw the better KS back. One who's proactive and build rallies and not throw a barrage of smashes with no plan B (almost entire 2018). G2 in particular He's never been the most steady player under pressure and often succumb in tight situations, the character he showed today in G2 atleast is the one thing his Arsenal's missing. Also someone here rightly mentioned the use of deceptive shots, these big changes so late in one's career takes time. G3 was part fatigue part scoreboard pressure part KM's dominance. Let's be honest we know who's the better player at the moment. Will it change in near future? I am very hopeful. I was expecting him to be one of the top contender at the WC, well that may not happen. but he's on right track to say the least.
Somewhat I could calculate who would do better in the future. I knew exactly when I heard the name of Srikanth in his first or second international tournament where after seeing his performance, I thought he is the only one who could make a difference in indian men's singles. Now, I could clearly say that the current form of Sai praneeth is better than srikanth's. Sai still has room to improve especially his deceptions. More or less I can predict Sai as second qualifier than sameer. But still time is there. Sameer may prove me wrong.
Currently, Sai’s form is better than SK’s. But keep in mind, BSP doesn’t carry any baggage of expectations that SK does. That is when his performances may tend to become inconsistent (I don’t want that to happen though) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Srikanth didn't show any urgency or whatsoever. His attacking game was missing today. He was Keep on adjusting his watch the whole match. Simply wasting public's money.
A bit harsh. I kinda felt he reserved his smashes for the final kill. However NKL didn’t let him gain that position so often. On a positive note, I noticed a tiny bit of improvement in defense, a bit of proactiveness in service returns and variety in his smashes (half smashes and cross court slices) But again, over reliant on his net game to draw advantage and failing to capitalize the important phases of the match. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
@Baddyforall @mohans do both of you see any chance of Srikanth getting a medal in WC ? I for one think he'll get knocked out in first or second round. Very disappointed to see him play like this.
As the MS field is getting weaker with a lot of recent injuries, he may stand a chance. A better picture would evolve in the next 2 weeks. I reckon the next two tournament results will give a better idea of this year’s title contenders Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
As a matter of fact, a better picture evolved. SK doesn’t stand a chance even if the top 10 pulls of WC ‘19. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
