By Adhirajnee Dasgupta
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s women’s badminton doubles pair Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa plan to treat triumph and disaster the same way at the Paris Olympics — albeit over a good meal.
The two players were looking for a doubles partner, and some Asian food, in the southern city of Hyderabad in late 2022 when they decided to compete together.
Just over a year later, 21-year-old Crasto is set to make her Olympic debut, while it will be 34-year-old Ponnappa’s third Games appearance having also competed in London and Beijing.
They are currently ranked 19th in the world
“We ordered lunch and we finalised this over food,” a smiling Crasto told Reuters in a Zoom interview on Sunday.
“We thought it would be great to try out this partnership because our game styles really complement each other.
“I really needed someone who could take care of the back court and she needed someone who could really capitalise on the net. We just wanted to give it a shot.”
A common love for food deepened the bond between Dubai-born Crasto and former world championship bronze medallist Ponnappa.
“We both are big foodies. We make it a point to go out and try different food after our matches,” Crasto said.
“We sit and talk about our match – areas we need to work on and what training programme we need for that, the good things that happened …
“The best part is we always come up with a solution. It really puts us in a good mood.”
While a good meal is an obvious way to celebrate success, it is even more helpful to digest defeat, said Crasto.
“She (Ponnappa) is the one, who takes charge and says, ‘It’s ok, leave your bag and let’s go out for a good meal’,” noted Crasto.
“That just pulls me out of the sadness that I would have been feeling after the match.
“It’s not like she’s leaving me to deal with it alone.”
Crasto acknowledged she was always the first to lose her cool on court, while Ponnappa played the role of pacifier.
“She knows how to keep calm during crucial situations and she’s very fast to strategise or adapt to a new plan,” said Crasto.
“These things really helped us pull off (wins in) crucial matches as it’s all about (your) mind towards the end of a game.
“It’s about who’s sane enough to keep the shuttle in one more time.”
Crasto said she was too excited to be nervous ahead of her first Olympics.
“I know there are a lot of expectations, but I just want to go out there and be the best version of myself and put up a good show and the results will follow.”
(Reporting by Adhirajnee Dasgupta; iting by Amlan Chakraborty and Ken Ferris)
