It’s been a month since the dynamic duo of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa decided to part ways. The duo cited stagnation as the only reason for the split. Their win at the commonwealth games in 2010 was the last, when the country saw the doubles team in trenchant form. Since then, the duo seems to have endorsed themselves in a series of catastrophic plays. 

A split long overdue

The split of the duo seemed long overdue. The achievements dried down after the commonwealth games, as they could not live past the results for too long. Gutta, 33, seems to have initiated the divorce. “We weren’t growing as a pair. I felt that we were stagnating. Whenever I expected a lot, the results were not coming” said the 33-year-old, when asked about their recent tournaments.

Ponnappa had much of the work to do, when the two combined. She covered the back-court and received the smashes, while Gutta stood guard around the net. Their lack of communication became visible and their opponents did not miss a chance to exploit them. They couldn’t decide who was covering what especially when their opponents attacked the middle of the court, the two would end up glancing at each other as the shuttle hit the court floor. The opponents identified Gutta as the weak-link and pinpointed their shots toward her.

The year 2016 has been quite hard on the duo. They have slipped from the 14th to the 26th in the BWF women’s doubles rankings. 

A new start

Gutta seems to have given up on women’s doubles and is working her way with Manu Attri in the mixed doubles. Attri had partnered with Ponnappa in the past, hence, the change of partner might be interesting to watch. 

Ashwini Ponnappa, on the other hand, has set up a new partnership with Sikki Reddy. The two will be able to cover all dimensions of the court without any sort of confusions or predicaments. Reddy is a product of the talent-producing Gopichand academy. She had experienced the flavour of success through a set of stellar performances with Pranaav Chopra. Her collaboration with Ashwini without a doubt will bring some fresh energy, both in terms of agility and skill on the court. 

“Sikki likes to move as well, so it won’t just be at the back of the court anymore. We are still learning how to combine, though,” Ponnappa said when asked about her partnership with Sikki Reddy.

Evolving their game

The Gutta-Attri pair would be interesting one to watch. Gutta, the experienced one and Attri the junior might be a good fit for each other. 

N Sikki Reddy has a past worth mentioning. The 22-year-old, along with Pranaav Chopra had some amazing performances this year. Ponnappa is setting her target rather high. “Our goal is to eventually qualify for the All England Super Series (in March) next year,” said the Bangalorean shuttler. 

The new formed partnerships may not be the best ones, but do promise to have strong potential. Whether they can live up to the potential is now would be an interesting thing to watch.