Kashyap recovers from mid-match slump to make quarters

Parupalli Kashyap is in the quarterfinals of the Olympics. And while that statement appears so simple, he had to undergo a roller-coaster of a match to make it happen. Niluka Karunaratne, at the other end, gave it everything he had, and for a while appeared to have all the aces, but Kashyap ground out a gritty victory.

It was an unusual match. Kashyap went in as heavy favourite, and appeared too fast and strong for Karunaratne in the early part – moving the Lankan around, catching him with his flicks from the net, and finding the empty spaces with regularity.

Few would have expected the match to turn in the second game. Yet, Karunaratne began a great fightback, upping his pace and spectacularly returning from thunderbolts from Kashyap. Playing from a couple of steps forward, he dominated the forecourt, and Kashyap suddenly appeared lost. He had evidently lost his composure. From 11-3 the score mounted in Niluka’s favour: 13-4, 17-6 and 20-8.

Yet again the match turned. Kashyap, possibly having given up hope for the second game, seemed to relax and that did wonders. The game immediately took on a different complexion: the pace of the game dropped and both tested each other with interminable high clears and drop shots – a return to an earlier era of badminton. Kashyap was in no hurry to finish, and suddenly, the errors mounted from Niluka. From 20-8, he suddenly found himself losing game point after game point, until at last a drop shot from Kashyap found the net cord and trickled over to his side.

The Lankan continued in the same vein – he played two brilliant returns to smashes from Kashyap to make it 4-3 in the third game – but as the match wore on, he looked weary. Kashyap tested him with his high clears again, dragging him into the long rallies until Niluka, slowly but surely, faded from the contest.

Kashyap’s fitness had made the difference. It was a brave effort from Niluka, but in the end, the Indian had come through the trial by fire without losing his head under pressure.

“My smashes weren’t going as effectively from one court,” said Kashyap. “I was attacking and attacking and the shuttle kept coming back! I was getting scared and confused and tired so it was a really tough second game. I’ll work hard and see what happens next and who I have to play. I have a lot of time to recover.”