Not unlike Jwala Gutta, Tanisha Crasto’s game is far better suited for the more bustling mixed doubles. Like Jwala, she can frenziedly combat the opposing men, unafraid of eyeball battles. And not unlike Jwala, she too has struck up a fantastic and surprisingly fast-evolved doubles partnership with Ashwini Ponappa in women’s doubles.
“If you asked us at the mid-point of last year, I wasn’t even thinking of Olympics. Today I’m happy we are in the race to head to Paris,” Tanisha says, adding that she’s not being too hard on herself chasing Games qualification, even as Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand and Tanisha-Ashwini go head to head to secure the lead spot. “What’s meant for me, I will get.”
Tanisha is the aggressive half of the pairing’s ‘calm aggression’ lilt tunes of play. They are 14 years apart, and all the usual clichés apply – Ashwini, wiser and more chill at 34, Tanisha wading into every forecourt-battle with a war-cry to match and bubbling with energy for an all-court scramble. If she’s this hungry and effective in retrieving every shuttle with bumbling mistakes, imagine how fearsome she’ll get when the errors are cut down.
“I’m trying to develop calmness and patience. I need to work on it but it will be a great advantage,” she says cannily, knowing that her impatience and un-calmness as her pulsating power pulps the shuttle, can still be a handful for opponents.
Women’s doubles wasn’t the plan. She and Ishan Bhatnagar were primed to lead India’s mixed doubles charge, before the latter broke his knee nastily at the Pune Nationals. Paired with Ashwini thereafter, the two have given the partnership a good go. “We’ve learnt a lot and come a long way. Built good understanding, communication and trust and had some great moments,” she says. Top of the list is beating two-time World champions Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara at the Malaysia Open Super 1000, where the duo collected a chunky 6600 points. The final surge in the decider post 9-9, freezing the Japanese, was breathtaking.
“Beating the former world champs was memorable, but I remember Nantes International Challenge in France where Ashwini had an injury, but we didn’t give up till the title. It all started from there,” she recalls. Tanisha played 11 matches, including mixed doubles, in 4 days.
Recently there was a smaller title at Abu Dhabi, but at the Arctic Open in Finland, beating the Japanese pair of Rena Miyaura-Ayako Sakuramoto was pivotal. “It helped our confidence that we can beat any higher-ranked players. We made Syed Modi finals, but smaller wins hold so much value. It didn’t happen overnight.”
Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto in action on day 4 at Yonex-Sunrise Guwahati Masters 2023 on Wednesday in Guwahati. (Odisha Sports/Twitter)
Neither was it the much-hyped exuberance of youth that took them to World No 23. Tanisha admits she had to learn proper women’s doubles, the unglamorous, patience-sapping rallies and all. “In lengthy games, our job is to retrieve every shuttle. It’s not like men’s doubles which is about speed and explosiveness. We rely on longer rallies and being consistent over 80-100 shots sometimes,” she says. At the India Open, the duo played a 68-70 shot rally. “Oh, next few points I was very tired,” she says, still sounding knackered.
Picking a niggle at the recent Asian team championships, Tanisha brought volume and verve to the cheering bench as India won gold. “The day I was screaming I was fine. The next 2-3 days voice was gone,” she laughs.
Tanisha says she’s learnt hard work and determination from Ashwini. “She makes me want to work harder. But also taught me to enjoy whatever I’m doing without bothering about results. She’s always smiling, even if losing.” It can be thoroughly disconcerting for opponents, though it’s usually some sheepish mistake Ashwini’s tiding over. “She’s nice and calm. I’m screaming and shouting. I have to carry calmness onto the court,” she says, though she’s perfectly alright the way she is – whizzy and unpredictable, scaring opponents away from the net.
The mixed doubles question lingers. “Right now I’m not focusing on it. It’s not even a thought in my head. Women’s doubles till the Olympics, because I’m really enjoying it. If Ashwini doesn’t continue post Olympics, I’ll think of mixed doubles,” she says.
The beauty of India’s top four women’s doubles players with their bludgeon and butter-knife alternating games, is that they’ve taken the ugly rivalry edge out of the equation. They scoff at the needless word – cut-throat. “It’s great competition. We go or, they (Treesa-Gayatri) go, it’s still a win for India that at least one pair is in Paris,” she says. Yes, they are both fighting for one position, but not allowing the desperation of cutting throats to mess with their minds and wasting energy in domestic quibbles.
“The mindset is not mad winning all the time. We give our 100 percent and one step at a time,” she says. “So, All England is just another tournament. Before that is the French Open this week. There too I’m not thinking, ‘Oh, Olympic venue.’ That’s unnecessary pressure.”
Tanisha probably has it the hardest amongst the four, with her family in Dubai, while she toils away in Hyderabad. “It’s the toughest thing. They give you so much love and make you feel wanted. Life feels terrible without them. Can we move to next question,” she suddenly rushes.
The unselfish decibel she lent at the team event as India won gold, built a new bond. “We had unity. And in the dugout no one was thinking of individual careers. It was like your point, your win meant a big, big thing for somebody else in the team.”
2024-03-03 13:59:59
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