Having just won two back-to-back tournaments, Srikanth Kidambi is currently the hottest men's singles badminton player! The Indian badminton star clinched the Indonesian Open last week, and followed it up with a victory in the Australian Open yesterday. Without going much into the details of his recent triumphs, let me point out why he is the most lethal badminton player.
1. Speed and attacking prowess
This is, by far, his biggest obvious asset. He covers the four corners extremely well, thereby allowing him to thunder down smashes and follow up with net kills or deceptive shots. Let me be clear that he is certainly not the only player with these abilities. Top players like Lin Dan, Chen Long and Lee Chong Wei are just as capable in these areas. But, this is what sets him apart from other players, who may be speedy and strong, but cannot consistently maintain that level throughout a match.
2. Shot selection and anticipation
By shot selection, I am referring to a player's ability to create shots that limit the opponent's attacking and counter-plays. Already in the top 4 of my list, his shot selection and anticipation are what set him apart from Lee Chong Wei. Throughout his matches against top players, he chose his shots wisely to increase his attacking chances. Just to clarify: this doesn't mean that a player has to create tight-spinning net shots to get lifts, which were typically in Chong Wei's matches during crunch time that were punished by top Chinese players. Contrary to this misconception, Srikanth kept his opponents guessing, by mixing up clears, drops and smashes (both straight- and cross-court) in his plays. In this area, his shot selection most closely resemble Taufik Hidayat's style (or Lin Dan's post-2014).
3. Net play
When opportunities arose for a wise net play, Srikanth normally capitalize on it to get a lift for his smash. Why did I emphasize wise? That's because not all net plays are wise! Many amateur and national players associate net plays with opportunities to get lifts for smashes. While that is correct to an extent, initiating net plays can backfire. Typically, a player who initiates a net play needs to have good touch/control, which means that there is a risk for unforced error. Once a net play is in motion, slicing/spinning the shuttlecock is actually easier for the opponent, who now has the advantage of getting a lift from the initiator. This is also my criticism for Chong Wei's play, which became a predictable game plan for Lin Dan and Chen Long, especially when the scores were tight.
4. Deception
This is the category that sets him apart from Chen Long. Don't get me wrong; Chen Long is on my top 3 list, but his style of play is not my cup of tea. Srikanth capitalizes on his assets by combining speed, attacking prowess and soft touches with deception. Sure, deception is routinely executed by top players like Chong Wei, Peter Gade, Taufik Hidayat and Lin Dan, but there is a tendency to over-play it, which means increased predictability to the opponent and hence poor shot selection. In my opinion, the Indian badminton star executed his deceptive shots well without the tendency of over-playing them.
In my book, if his new coaches (from Indonesia) can keep him healthy, Srikanth would be the unofficial favorite to bag the upcoming World Championship title, and possibly be the world number one by the end of 2017.
If you want, check out his recent games against:
- Chen Long, Shi Yuqi and Son Wan Ho (Australian Open 2017)
- Jan O Jorgensen and Son Wan Ho (Indonesian Open 2017)
... and the not-so-recent game: - Lin Dan (China Open 2014) - the match to watch!
What do you think? Do you agree that Srikanth is on a roll, or is he merely on a good lapse of triumph?