A decade on, Sayali stays ahead of Neha

Coach Anil Modak wasn’t by the side of Sayali Gokhale during her final against Neha Pandit. During the semifinal against Trupti Murgunde, Modak was constantly guiding Gokhale during the game.

On Sunday, Modak chose to be one among the spectators when Gokhale played against Pandit. He didn’t want to be seen as biased. Both the finalists picked up the game at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Centre in Pune.

Incidentally, they first arrived at the centre in Pune on July 6, 1999. A decade later they were playing in their first Senior All-India final. Gokhale and Pandit probably didn’t realise it was 10 years since they first received formal coaching. However, Modak didn’t miss the significance of the occasion. Modak was thrilled that after decade of hard work the two were playing their first big final.

Both are based at the Bangalore Centre now, the elite training base. While Gokhale has been coached by Modak all the while in Pune, before shifting to Bangalore two years ago, Pandit was coached by Hemant Hardikar at the Pune Centre after being under Modak’s guidance for the first four years.

In the semifinals of the Tata Open last year, Pandit beat Gokhale. However, over the past year, Gokhale has gone ahead and her 21-19 21-15 verdict over Pandit reiterated her class. Since winning the Senior National title, Gokhale is being talked as the next big thing, only second to Saina Nehwal among the current crop. She won the Spanish Open in May. She didn’t lose a game in Madrid.

Gokhale and Pandit play very differently. While Gokhale is all touch, Pandit is the smash-move-smash player. “I wanted to win the first game. It was very crucial as we know each other’s game well. I don’t have the kind of power she has so I had to slow the pace of the game. It worked well for me,” Gokhale said after her win.

She is now learning to deal with the pressure of being a national champion. “You are expected to do well so people expect more from you. I was under pressure to do well here also. I am happy everything worked for me,” she added. Gokhale will now have her sights set on the World Championships. She has received a wild card for the event. Gokhale has taken inspiration from Nehwal’s Indonesia Super Series win. “Saina’s victory is bound to inspire all of us to do better. If she can do it we must also believe that we can do it,” Gokhale said.