Gutta, Diju create history, win GR Gold title in Taipei

V Diju and Jwala Gutta have gone further than any other Indian pair in history with their title win at the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold on Sunday.

There have been great pairs — beginning with world No. 4 Gajanan Hemmady and Monoj Guha in the 1940s and 1950s — but no combination has won an Open event of this stature. The GP Gold, just one level below the Super Series, attracts a world-class field. The title victory at the Chinese Taipei GP Gold is certainly the best-ever result in Indian doubles badminton. It might be a while yet before Diju and Jwala realise the enormity of their accomplishment.

The venerable Monoj Guha himself was delighted with the news. “This is very good news,” he told DNA. “So far, Hemmady and I were the highest-ranked Indian pair at No.4. I hope they can go higher than us. I hope they will become No.1. This is one of the best results in Indian doubles.”

Although both have played international badminton for a decade, it was only during their European circuit last year that they took wing. They paired at team campaigns - among their earliest was the Sudirman Cup in 2005, and the 2006 Commonwealth, but the results were inconsistent.

Diju had problems in establishing a combination in both his events. His successful partnership with Sanave Thomas in the men’s doubles was split by then-Indian doubles coach Hadi Sugianto, who got Sanave to partner Rupesh Kumar — the pair repaid Sugianto’s faith by becoming a formidable combination. Diju, meanwhile, partnered Aparna Balan through 2007 and lost valuable time. Jwala and her husband Chetan too had a long-running problem with the BAI, and there was doubt on where they were headed internationally.

Things dramatically turned around when Jwala, Diju and Chetan Anand decided to undertake the European tour last year at their own expense, around Rs 1.5 lakh each. The mixed doubles team won two majors — the Bitburger Open and the Bulgarian Open Grand Prix - and returned with the feeling that the top teams in the world were within their sights.

At the Korea Open this year they humbled the world No.1 team, Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir, before falling in the semifinals. These results propelled them to top-ten status, and they had already broken new ground.

The two are unusual for an Indian mixed doubles pair — for both are tall and powerful hitters, and Jwala’s left-handedness and skill at the net gives them a great advantage.

In a game which is defined by lightning strikes and counter-strikes, the pair have evolved their own crafty variety of dabs and pokes and intelligent game-play, which offsets some of the advantages that the other Asian teams enjoy.

“I wouldn’t want to give the credit to anyone in particular,” says Diju, “But Hadi Idris and Atik Jauhari (India’s Indonesian coaches) have helped, and so too Hadi Sugianto and Razif Sidek.”