Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu... now Kidambi Srikanth

Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu have carried the weight of expectations on their young shoulders for long. They will continue to do so in the times to come. However, they will not be alone.

Kidambi Srikanth on Sunday made sure that his name will be taken in the same breath with the likes of Saina and Sindhu, overcoming a major roadblock in his career path. The 24-yearold lad completely outclassed reigning world and Olympic champion Chen Long in Sydney to clinch the men’s singles crown at the $750,000 Australian Open Superseries.

Though Srikanth has beaten top players of the world once in a while in the past, the Gunturborn is now making it a regular habit.

To reach the finals of three successive Superseries events is something that does not take place everyday. The last time it happened in men’s badminton was in 2015 when Malaysian great Lee Chong Wei achieved the hat-trick.

Though he lost the Singapore Open final to compatriot B Sai Praneeth in April, he went on to clinch the Indonesia Open title, defeating top players like Jan O Jorgensen and World No1 Son Wan-ho on the way.

But in Sydney, the Pullela Gopichand protégé climbed the steepest of inclines, where each step was a big challenge. He first Chinese Taipei’s Kan Chao Yu, who is always a difficult opponent. He then overcame No1 Son once again in the span of a week.

Srikanth ousted Sai Praneeth in the quarterfinals after losing to him in the Singapore final. He then defeated Chinese World No 4 Shi Yuqi before eventually moving past Chen Long.

“I was not thinking much before the match. I had just decided to play my normal game. I have been playing really well for the last two weeks so