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Some seasons ago, the prospect of each of the names Taufik Hidayat, Simon Santoso and Sony Dwi Kuncoro as opponents would have sent a trickle of apprehension through even a cursory follower of badminton. Then there is the fear-inducing name of Dyonisius Hayom Rumbaka — their fourth singles man — and the younger Indonesian did enough at the All England earlier this year to be regarded warily by his rivals.Now collectively, and in a team event at that, Indian shuttlers would be excused in thinking themselves down-and-out even before they stepped on the court. But something has changed over the last few seasons, and as India kickstart their most ambitious summer on Monday with both the men and women qualifying for the Thomas & Uber Cup finals in Malaysia, there is optimism that the players will at least not be bogged down by reputations.National coach P Gopichand estimates each of the five matches in the opening India-Indonesia tie to be at 50-50, and this despite India's No 1 Chetan Anand out of contention after pulling out because of his knee injury. With the sprightly young P Kashyap taking over the mantle, and Gopichand confident that big boys Aravind Bhat and Anup Sridhar will raise their games for the big occasion, the first tie of this important week could set the tone for the coming days.Converting chances"Indonesia will certainly start as favourites with all their big names. But I believe we have chances in all the three singles matches, and we need to convert them. The preparation has been good," he said, predicting an interesting Day 1 at the Stadium Putra in Kuala Lumpur.Tough openerThe Indonesian line-up edges out the Indians in ranking and ratings, but an improved Indian squad will be more than a handful for the favourites led by the mercurial Hidayat. Kashyap, stepping ahead to play the first singles will undoubtedly play the toughest opener."It'll be difficult, but against Taufik, he has nothing to lose. The pressure will only be as much as the responsibility, but he's prepared," Gopichand said adding that he was not deterred by the inconsistency of his two seasoned warhorses in Sridhar and Bhat. "They've not had most consistent of results, but they know this is the biggest test. And both have the potential for big matches. There could be upsets anywhere," he said.The Indian doubles charge will see Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas and a probable pairing of V Diju and Akshay Dewalkar against the world-class Indonesian pairs, though singles is what raises hopes. "We're primarily looking at all three singles against Indonesia since we've played close matches against these guys. If not a win, we're definitely looking at 3-2 margins. I'm feeling good about my game too," Bhat said, though the tall and big-hitting Sridhar could be the surprise in the equation.India play their second tie against Australia, whom the Indonesians had blanked 5-0 for a good warm-up.The Indian women led by Saina Nehwal — and similarly placed in Group D and seeded 7th — start out against lowly South Africa in their opener late on Monday. Korea will provide the sterner test though.Jayaram wins Thailand titleMUMBAI: Ajay Jayaram picked a much-needed international title at Trang, Thailand beating Malaysian youngster Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin 21-10 21-4 at the Smiling Fish International Series. The 22-year-old, ranked 71, has been travelling to badminton's outposts in a bid to pick precious ranking points and justified his top-seed billing at Thailand with a comfortable win in the final. "I've been travelling on my own expense and need sponsors. But I knew I had to venture out, and do it now, not later," said the Bangalore-based player who will get into the Top 70 with this result.Playing the eighth-seeded Malaysian, Jayaram pushed the pace after 5-5 in the first game. Watching his opponent slacken, Jayaram piled on the pressure and raced to a 21-10 win in the opening set. The sheer intensity had, by then, tired out Iskandar, who submitted meekly in 25 minutes. "I'd beaten him before at the Malaysian Open GP Gold event, and I'd played well in the Asian Championship too, so I was confident," he said. (ENS)
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