The shift of the hub east-wards from Mumbai/Pune to Hyderabad, which hosts its second major international event (the first was the 2005 ABC championships, not on this scale) is thus consistent with the Andhra capital’s foresight in setting up the infrastructure — stadium, hotels, airport, et al. It wasn’t coincidental that the state’s shuttlers had started dominating the national championships in all age-sections — from seniors down to the smallest cadet-cubs.

But more than anything else, what the Indian Open would crave to earn for itself is a foundation stone to future tradition. “For any event to take root, it needs to become a part of the circuit and be held every year at the same time, preferably with increased prize money — something like the All-England or the Wimbledon. This tournament has a big future,” stresses Padukone, rueing that India never had a regular fixture until now, one-off tournaments not quite striking a chord.

The fight before Beijing

Coming as it does at the business end of the Olympic build-up, the Indian Open will be no pretender to serious-competition. “It’s an Olympic year, and there’s not much in it for rank rookies, though the new format offers a decent chance to underdogs. No one’s expected to get easy games here, since everyone’s after ranking points ahead of the Games,” opines former international doubles star Leroy D’Sa.

“Youngsters will pick important tricks on training, et cetera from just watching these big stars, but for the Indians who are middle-rungers — Anup Sridhar, Chetan Anand and P Kashyap — it will be about seizing the opportunity and giving it their all,” he says.

... contd.