Irwansyah, the former Indonesia men’s team coach, was roped in by the Badminton Association of India recently and this event was first part of his initiation phase with Sindhu. Irwansyah has a massive challenge alongside Sindhu. And he’s hopeful that the small changes that he plans to bring will bear fruit. “My goal is to take Sindhu and the others to a very high level. Like Sindhu, I do believe she can do it. But we have been training for only one week, less than one week actually. The changes I want in her game, she can do it. But it will take some time. I want her to play faster and become powerful,” he said.

“I don’t want to slow the pace of her game because she is an attacking player. But she has to be more aggressive, more powerful. Today, her tempo and power of the shots increased in the deciding game,” he added.

Sitting courtside, Irwansyah could be spotted taking notes and pro-actively passing on ideas to Sindhu during the campaign. Sindhu’s determination and drive has added to Irwansyah’s belief. “I also watched her games from other competitions. So I know her weaknesses and the things that she needs to improve. I already have my notes, everything. So yeah, I hope this is going to work. But again, like I said, Sindhu has the hunger to try and learn. And she’s very focussed and works hard during training.”

Sindhu, who has had a decorated career, is 29 in a sport which tends to be more favourable towards youngsters. Given the support system in place and her hunger, Irwansyah believes age is just a number for someone like Sindhu. “Even though her age is 29, I do believe she will kick on with a better result next time. It also depends on the team. A team that can provide her good nutrition, suggest her good food habits and manage her sleep patterns. We have a good strength and conditioning coach, physiotherapist. So age doesn’t matter.