Definitely, she is the second best player . After 2016, How many finals Marin reached and how many she won? But Tai tzu ying reached . So, she is no.1 . Sindhu also has shown consistency throughout. Whereas Marin just peaking for one tournament and losing all others does not get you as second best. Let her prove consistency. Don't be biased in comparison. Take every possible thing into consideration after Olympics. After Olympics, Sindhu met Carolina 5 times and won 3 times . I included World Championships also where Marin won Sindhu.
Srikanth Kidambi admits Mulyo Handoyo's sudden departure has impacted singles. Mulyo's endurance training methods are still followed at the Gopichand academy. Link: http://www.espn.in/espn/story/_/id/...th-certain-one-big-win-turn-bland-year-around 'One big win is all I need to turn the year around' - Kidambi Srikanth Susan Ninan Aug 27, 2018 Kidambi Srikanth isn't a big fan of the staid, garden-variety in-flight entertainment options. He'd rather skim through YouTube for a feel-good Telugu movie. His flight out of Jakarta is still a good hour and a half away and his mind is playfully toying with 'what-to-watch' ideas while waiting alone at the Seokarna-Hatta airport terminal. It's also the perfect time for a fairly long call. Two of his teammates, whom he'd arrived with a fortnight ago at the Asian Games, progressed to the business end of the draw and made history, with coach Pulella Gopichand in his monk-like calm around at the changeover to offer a kind word or a consoling arm, rev up spirits with double-clenched fists and keep hopes at the brim. The world no.8 Indian's chances though were doused early in the singles event, and the other male singles player from the country, HS Prannoy, also kept stride with him to the exit. Barring the Commonwealth Games in April where he won an individual silver, Srikanth's year so far doesn't hold a candle to his sharp, luminous showing of four Super Series titles last year. He isn't worried or upset but there's a smidgen of concern. "It's definitely not been one of the best years but again I'm happy with the way I've been playing and the effort I've been putting in," Srikanth tells ESPN. "It's just that I'm not able to pull off matches but that's something that happens to every player at some point of time. I'll have to keep training hard and find ways to overcome it. I've been talking to Gopi bhaiya about this, but somehow nothing has been working for me so far." He knows it's been a bland year. His win-loss record this year stands an uninspired 13-6, and there's no silverware to show for his BWF circuit outings. In many ways, he knows he's brought it upon himself - the creaking weight of expectation that is a corollary to superlative performances. "People definitely expect me to do well. I can't really blame them. That's how it is." It's in times such as these that he looks to idol Roger Federer for life sessions. "You know when Federer goes into a Grand Slam, you, me, everyone expect him to win and he's been so consistent, not letting that pressure get to him. That's what makes him a great player. That's something that I've not been able to do." But Srikanth knows that all it will take to fix everything that's on a downward spiral right now is one big win. He's not hurting from the early pack-up from Jakarta and laughs impishly to suggest that he wasn't the only player to take a hard blow. "You know it's not the end of the world....it's not that if I had won a medal at this Games I would have retired. Neither of the men's World Championship finalists made it to the Asian Games final....not even (Kento) Momota." Srikanth's slip in form also coincided with the exit of Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo, who's credited with introducing endurance-intensive training methods which bore instant results for the Indian singles players. Handoyo's philosophy though, Srikanth says, hasn't been abandoned. Under his watch Srikanth had his most successful run last year - winning four out of five Superseries finals, while Prannoy broke into the top 10 and B Sai Praneeth won his maiden Superseries title. "In terms of results, I think his (Handoyo's) absence does make a difference. He brought in a kind of change that worked well for everyone. I'm still in touch with him. But as a player at the highest level, you can't depend so much on your coach. You cannot attribute all your wins nor blame all your losses on a coach." Over the next three months, Srikanth has seven tournaments, starting with the Japan Open and he's hoping that fate will be kinder. "I have to keep working hard. I can't give up at any point and then say that 'I worked hard but couldn't do well'. Also it's now so much more competitive with guys like Momota around, so it's just not me playing mediocre, it's about others being quite exceptional too." Much like his long, dull solo flight back home, Srikanth knows he'll also survive this bald patch of results. "It's probably time I look back and analyse things and perform. That's all I can think of," he says. For the next couple of hours at least, a good movie should see him through.
We will crack Tai Tzu Ying code, says Indian badminton chief coach P Gopichand http://www.newindianexpress.com/spo...adminton-chief-coach-p-gopichand-1865070.html EXCERPTS: "Both Sindhu and Saina are mentally and physically tough who don't give up easily. Ratchanok Intanon has successfully taken on Tai Tzu Ying and the Indian shuttlers too need to crack her," Gopichand said. "The challenge we have is that we have too many tournaments in the world circuit. So it's going to be a challenge to keep improving while playing tournaments, while retaining rankings and defending your points. So, that becomes a lot more challenging. But, I am sure we will break it (Tai's game)." Calling Tai a complete package with a wide variety of strokes, Gopichand said: "You are looking at a player who is quick on her feet, who is aggressive, who is smart, who is emotionally strong and also can run quite a bit. "So, you are looking at a package which is quite dominant in terms. So you have to have your game at top level consistently," she said. Saina, who suffered her 10th successive defeat to Tai at the Asian Games semifinals, has compared the Taipei shuttler with legendary Taufiq Hidayat, a former World and Olympic champion. "Tai Tzu Ying is basically comfortable with most of the players now. I think one, two players are troubling her at the moment. That's why she is world number one," she said. "Some of the boys tell me that we don't have the king of shots what she can play. She is someone like lady Taufiq Hidayat, having all kinds of different shots." "She and Carolina (Marin) are the two main opponents, against whom we are trying to find good strategy to beat them." Sindhu, who became the first Indian to win a badminton silver at the Asian Games, said: "For the first time, I think two medals from badminton. It's a proud moment for us and also for the country." "Because, when we are standing there on the podium, it feels great that when the flag is flying high there. We cannot express that feeling." "Winning a medal in the Asian Games is special as it comes once in four years," added the 23-year-old, who also won a silver at the Commonwealth Games and world championship this year. "It's definitely been a special tournament for me. Because, I was hunting for this medal from last, I would say three Asian Games," Saina said. "This was my fourth Asian Games. I am very happy that I could compete. I expected this medal this time so I got it. I think I have all the medals now in the major events." "Now the target is to improve our performance and come back with even better medals next time," she said. Talking about her journey since winning the coveted silver medal at the Rio Olympics, Sindhu said: "Starting from Rio, it's been completely different. I think getting a silver is not an easy thing. Every time, I play any tournament, expectations are always there." "Every time, we would go into the court, they would want us to get a medal which is not so easy. But, being a player, definitely, we have to give our best." "What Sindhu and Saina have achieved is phenomenally good, hoping that a gold medal would come their way in the years to come," he said.
Sindhu's dad PV Ramana writes a letter to his daughter. I share it here as the thoughts apply to all Indian badminton players. Link: https://thebridge.in/dear-daughter-always-keep-on-challenging-yourself-pv-ramana/ Dear daughter, always keep on challenging yourself | By PV Ramana By PV Ramana - September 1, 2018 Dear daughter Being a sportsperson has taught me a lot. But the most important thing I want to tell you and every other young athlete is that never stop enjoying your game. The minute you do, there will be no sense to you playing anymore. As long as you keep having fun, as long as you play because you’re passionate about it, you will never tire out. Your work and your practice will not overburden you. You will be able to be your best wherever you go. Times are changing for Indian sports. Make the most out of it. Back in my days, we never imagined India would win a medal in Table Tennis against the top Asian countries. Now, we have risen beyond that cliche to bag two. Add to that, you and Saina have broken the drought in Singles Badminton as well. 1982 was a long time ago. India has waited too long for another Singles medal; we have waited too long for that medal to come from a woman. And you two have done it. What you have also done, dear daughter is made your next generation take notice of you. As a sportsperson, I can tell you that it is essential to have that inspiration, in the form of a medal, to encourage a sport and ensure that its legacy continues long after you have ceased to be a part of it. You play for your country- not just to win a medal for your land but also to inspire. Remember that always. Acknowledge and respect the expectations that people have from you but do not let it consume you. Through it all, remember that excellence is your target. Let nothing come in the way of that. Back in my days, there were a few athletes. They were the only ones who stood out. There was PT Usha; there was Shiny Wilson, Charles Borromeo and of course the teams like Hockey and Volleyball. Everyone knew we would win something- we had made a reputation for ourselves, and there was no plausible scenario where we would be returning home from a major tournament empty-handed. That the paradigm has shifted enough for every athlete to be considered a medal prospect today is a massive transformation. There is a new dawn in Indian sports, an improvement. This is an era that has long been coming for a country like India where talent is limitless. You are at the centre of this change. Cherish it. Learn as much as you can and never stop learning. Remember, you are who you are because of your coaches, your family and the people of your country. In your moment of glory do not forget about the people who have patiently guided you so far. Facilities have improved. The athlete is now at the centre of every plan that is made when it comes to Indian sports. People are paying attention to you, and you are doing great justice to the focus that you are being given Make your game the hero. Let the rest of the country know that its okay to play without thinking about winning medals. Encourage them just to play. Motivate them to participate. A Saina or a Sindhu cannot be made in a day. You cannot just decide to start winning medals. There is a lengthy procedure of preparation that comes along with it, and none of it will be possible if a culture of playing sports is not encouraged first. Your sport has given you a lot. Never forsake it. Keep giving back to it everything you have received. Challenge yourself. Keep an open mind. Remember that results are not always under your control. Your only job is to give your best. That way, you will have zero regrets as you blaze through life You have achieved a lot, that is true. But always remember that prospects are limitless today. Remember that you still have miles to go.
Badminton was listed as one of the biggest duds of india in this Asian games. 1) kabbadi 2) Hockey 3) Badminton 4) wrestling 5) boxing
Every other newspapers of India criticized Srikanth kidambi. I don't know why they targeted him considering all the other top guns of Asia failed as well.
These were not duds, but sports were at least one gold was expected. Wrestling shouldn't be on this list as it got 2 gold. I am surprised they were expecting gold from badminton.
Srikanth Kidambi and HS Prannoy were the flops of Indian badminton. In future I will expect nothing from them. Expect them to mostly be inconsistent and sometimes deliver results. They lack self belief in major tournaments.
Even i thought that too. How come they expect gold in badminton when Tai tzu ying is there(atleast WS was most reliable expectation , considering Sindhu's capability). But for MS, i never thought there would be gold for India. May be bronze. Unfortunate, it was listed at no.3 on top 5 duds. Sent from my SM-G600FY using Tapatalk
LInk: http://www.gobadminton.in/In-Focus/921/Tan-Kim-Her-Man-behind-the-rise-of-the-Indian-Doubles Tan Kim Her: Man behind the rise of the Indian Doubles By: Swetha Reddy Date: 08 Sep, 2018 Image Courtesy: Nazeer Adoni/ Gobadminton Tan Kim Her, the Malaysian coach who had previously coached for various countries - Korea, England, and Malaysia - is the doubles coach of the India national badminton team, reveals his plans, strategy and ideology in an exclusive interview with the gobadminton.in at the ongoing BWF Super 100 Hyderabad Open at the G.M.C. Balayogi Stadium, Gachibowli, Hyderabad. How do you think Doubles landscape in India has been transformed since your appointment? I’m impressed with the Indian badminton in India. Thanks to Gopichand (Pullela). But the system here is not right and not well organised in terms of selection of Doubles partner; players themselves choose their tournaments. It took three months for me to analyse about the system here before conceding. Then I had a vision of bringing the Indian Doubles to an international level. Later I spoke to the players before starting their fitness regimen and training sessions. The most important part is Indian players are extremely professional and they have a binding trust on me and follow my guidance religiously. Possibilities of Indian Doubles at the upcoming Japan Open 2018? Apart from Pranaav and Sikki, who reached the Semi-Finals at the last edition’s Japan Open, I’m confident that other doubles will definitely get through the main rounds - as the qualifier starts next year - at the Olympics 2020; I want them to go there and participate. Usually, I follow this method for the Indian players; firstly selection of partners, secondly choosing the tournaments for them, thirdly keeping a track of the ranks. But now, I want the consistency, which is very important. I want them to reach at least the Quarter-Finals at every tournament they participate in, till the Olympics 2020, which helps with the consistency. And, of course that’s not easy to reach the round-of-8. I leave it to them. If they are mentally strong apart from their training and fitness, then it definitely will lead them to the podium. What are the changes you noticed in Indians in terms of the quality of the players comparing with Europeans and Koreans? I have trained various countries such as Korea, England, and Malaysia in the doubles discipline. Different nations obey differently; Koreans are very disciplined, Englishmen are very professional like Indians. It depends on the body structure and from which country they are. Satwik(sairaj Rankireddy)/Chirag (Shetty) and Arjun M.R./Ramachandran Shlok are different in regards of height and body type. So definitely, there would be a change in the game style. Can we expect the increase in the Doubles count at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics? My responsibility in India is till 2020 Olympics. My aim is to make the existing contingent stronger than concentrating on the increase in the number of the Doubles players, so that they can at least end at the podium. Gopichand (Pullela) and I need to plan together, work on the schedule and the selection of the contingent and their respective training sessions. With this, we are sure that we will achieve it. If I stay longer, I would plan the development. Any message to the emerging Indian Doubles? I want to do something for the Indian Doubles, as I’m aiming big. That’s not so easy to get everything into the place. I always say, “Don’t lose the hope. Never give up.” I want them and their parents to understand that Doubles is also a quintessential part of badminton.
Link: https://scroll.in/field/893748/hyde...ma-bag-titles-pranaav-sikki-lose-in-the-final Hyderabad Open badminton: Satwik-Chirag and Sameer Verma bag titles, Pranaav-Sikki lose in the final The top-seeded mixed doubles pair squandered a 19-13 lead in the deciding game against a lower-ranked Indonesian pair to lose their final. AFP Jaideep Vaidya There were three Indian top seeds in the finals of the Hyderabad Open and all three were expected to win the title but only two managed to in the end. The men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and singles player Sameer Verma – both ranked 21 in the world – easily won their respective finals. Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Sikki Reddy should have joined them on the top of the podium but squandered substantial leads in the second and third games of their final against a pair from Indonesia to end up with silver. The men’s doubles final kicked off proceedings on Sunday, as the steadily rising pair of Satwik and Chirag bagged their first title of the year. Apart from their second-round match against K Nandagopal and Gouse Shaik, who took the top seeds to a deciding game, Satwik and Chirag hardly broke a sweat in this entire tournament, which they were treating as warm-up for the higher-level Japan Open and China Open events over the next two weeks. Indonesia’s Akbar Bintang Cahyono and Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani, ranked 47th in the world, managed to keep a one-point lead over Satwik and Chirag till the first interval, but could not sustain the pressure after that. The match ended 21-16, 21-14 in favour of the Indians in just 26 minutes, as Satwik clinched the title with his trademark jump smash. Cahyono had another chance to land a gold medal as he teamed up with Winny Oktavina Kandow later in the day for the mixed doubles final against top seeds Chopra and Reddy. The Indonesian pair, ranked 50th in the world, was slow to get off the blocks but then managed to silence the 200-strong Hyderabad crowd that had grown steadily since the first match of the day. Chopra and Reddy won the first game comfortably 21-15 and had a 17-12 lead in the second, but then dozed off to allow the Indonesians to come from behind and take two game-point opportunities for themselves. The Indians, ranked 24th in the world, saved one of the game points and should have really saved the second as well, as Kandow lifted the shuttle for what should have been a simple smash for Reddy. However, in a moment of indecision, Reddy left the shuttle for her partner, who was expecting her to take it and by the time he moved for it, it was too late. Kandow and Cahyono won the game 21-19 to take the match into a decider that Reddy and Chopra could really have done without. The Indian pair regained their ruthlessness in the beginning of the third game but then, unfortunately for the partisan crowd, they again switched off towards the end. This time, they squandered a 19-13 lead, as the Indonesians pounced on the opportunity to level the score to 20-20. Both pairs then traded points before Kandow won it for Indonesia 25-23 with a flick serve that caught Reddy completely off guard. This was a gold medal that was Chopra’s and Reddy’s to lose, and they did. They could have really done with a gold medal considering they are facing a much higher-ranked Indonesian pair, Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir (world No 3), in the first round of the Japan Open next week. In the final match of the day, Verma secured his first title of the season with a facile 21-15, 21-18 win over Malaysia’s Soong Joo Ven, ranked 91st in the world. Verma will face much tougher opposition over the next three weeks, in which he will be playing three back-to-back tournaments – the Japan Open, China Open and Korea Open – but the title in Hyderabad will still be a confidence booster after what has been a mediocre season prior to this week.
Link: https://telanganatoday.com/maiden-grand-prix-doubles-title-for-satwiksairaj-chirag Maiden Grand Prix doubles title for Satwiksairaj & Chirag Sameer clinches men’s singles title but Pranaav & Sikki falter in final By TelanganaToday | Sports Bureau | Published:9th Sep 2018 9:12 pm Sameer Verma won the men’s singles title on Sunday. Hyderabad:It was a moment to cherish as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty captured their maiden Grand Prix doubles title while top seed Sameer Verma won the men’s singles title in the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Hyderabad Open BWF Tour Super 100 badminton tournament that concluded at SATS Indoor Stadium in Gachibowli on Sunday. However, there was disappointment when Praanav Jerry Chopra and Sikki Reddy lost to Akbar Bintang Cahyono & Winny Oktavina Kandow of Indonesia 15-21, 21-19, 25-23 in the mixed doubles final. Sameer outwitted Soong Joo Ven (Malaysia) 21-15, 21-18 to reign supreme in the men’s singles. It was the Malaysian who took control of the match by leading 9-5. Hitherto Sameer raised his game. He found his rhythm and began to call the shots. The Indian coolly wrapped up the first game. In the second game, Sameer oozed confidence. He became bold as he began to whip up points with ease. Joo Ven was befuddled. The Malaysian began to make unforced errors but stayed in the match with a few good shots. But in the end, a more confident Sameer romped home to win the title. A dominant Satwiksairaj and Chirag won their maiden title with a clinical 21-16, 21-14 win over the Indonesian pair of Akbar Bintang Cahyono & Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani 21-16, 21-14. Although the Indian pair, ranked 21st in the world, encountered some resistance in the first game, the Satwik and Chirag were unstoppable in the second. A delighted Satwik said it was nice to the maiden title at home. “We were confident that we would win the title. We got into a good rhythm although our opponents gave a good fight in the first game. In the second game, we totally dominated the match,’’ said young Satwik. According to Satwik, this title would help them to do well in the coming Japan Super Series tournaments. “We have been jelling very well in the last few months. Chirag has been a wonderful partner. We had won the Challengers title but never had won a Grand Prix title. This win would be a big confidence booster,’’ said Satwik.
HS Prannoy reveals they had neglected the physical aspect and were doing more on court training. Link: https://scroll.in/field/893889/in-t...ikanth-and-prannoy-confident-of-bouncing-back In transition: After tweaking training routine, Srikanth and Prannoy confident of bouncing back The departure of Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo from the Indian national camp at the end of last season has affected their training. AFP/PTI HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth have not had the best of seasons if you compare it with their 2017 performance. But India’s top two men’s singles badminton players are not worried about their dip in form. 2017 was a wonder year for Srikanth as he became only the fourth player in the world to win four or more Superseries titles in a season. Prannoy, too, did not have a bad year, winning the US Open and the senior nationals – in which he beat Srikanth in the final – and reaching the semi-finals of two Superseries tournaments. Comparatively, 2018 has been rather ordinary. Srikanth’s best result is a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games, which had a depleted field. In BWF World Tour tournaments, he has managed to reach just one semi-final. Prannoy, on the other hand, got a bronze at the Badminton Asia Championships but has reached only one quarter-final on the BWF World Tour. Both shuttlers crashed out in the second round of the Asian Games last month. While some Indian badminton fans may have hit the panic button, Srikanth and Prannoy are not fazed. “It’s just a difficult phase,” Srikanth told Scroll.in, before he left for the Japan Open starting on Tuesday. “It’s been a very packed calendar this year with the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games added to it, so it’s not been easy on the body. We have been working hard in training and should start getting results soon.” Change in training Prannoy, who has dropped out of the world’s top 10, admitted that the departure of Indonesian coach Mulyo Handoyo from the Indian national camp at the end of last season has also affected how he and Srikanth have been training this year. The two shuttlers have been trying out new things in training, which has in turn impacted their on-court performance. “You cannot do the same things over the years, even if you are performing well,” Prannoy said. “Probably last year we had a different kind of strategy with Mulyo – it was probably working out. But now we’ve had a couple of changes in the training schedule and for me, individually, there were so many physical issues in the beginning of the season.” Prannoy had been troubled with foot injuries towards the end of last season and the beginning of 2018, which affected his endurance training. Srikanth too had withdrawn from the Thomas Cup and the Thailand Open earlier this year with injury. “We had reduced our physical activity and were trying more on on-court things,” Prannoy said. “Probably that wasn’t working well, and we needed to go back to working on our physical aspect. It’s just a phase where you try so many things – some work, some don’t. It’s important to have such phases so that you actually know what works well for you and what doesn’t. Probably it wasn’t the right time to try something new with the world championships and Asian Games back-to-back.” The last few months have been difficult to deal with, said Prannoy, who failed to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games. Describing how this phase has been, he said, “When you’re going through a tough period, sometimes you feel you’re just following the shuttle, with no strategy. When you are playing well, the tournament starts in the quarter-finals. But now, the first round is only tough.” However, both shuttlers feel it’s a matter of time before they get through this transition phase and are back to winning ways. “Once you win a couple of matches, everything falls into place,” said Srikanth, whose ranking has dropped to eighth in the world after reaching the pinnacle in April. ‘No one is unbeatable’ Prannoy and Srikanth are both playing in the Japan Open this week, where world champion Kento Momota is one of the favourites on home turf. After returning to the circuit following his year-long suspension for illegal gambling, the Japanese has lit the stage on fire, winning the world championships, the Asian championships and the Indonesian Open, while he finished runner-up at the Malaysian Open. World No 1 Viktor Axelsen and All England Open champion Shi Yuqi are also strong contenders for the Japan Open and China Open titles over the next two weeks, but Prannoy believes no one on the men’s circuit is unbeatable. “Momota is going to get even more tough in the coming days, while Viktor and Shi Yuqi are also probably at a higher level but the next 15-20 players are all at the same level,” Prannoy said. “But even these guys, you don’t feel they are extraordinary. They are beatable.” Prannoy added that Indian fans are always quick to compare their shuttlers to those from other countries who are winning consistently, but it’s important to gauge the circumstances and external factors. “Someone like Momota has been away for one year and he is in that state of mind where he really wants to win,” Prannoy said. “Even we need that kind of a break sometime. Till December it might be a bit tough for us to play all these tournaments and get results, but after that it should be fine. 2019 will be a little freer for us. We can sit and plan which tournaments to play. God-willing it will be much better,” he added.
Japan Open Some Indian players like PV Sindhu need a holiday. A mental break just to relax and rest. Saina Nehwal wisely pulled out of the Japan Open. But with this being an Olympic venue and BWF WT Super 750 players were forced to play. After the Asian Games, we saw a group of players playing the Hyderabad Super 100 and the remaining were back in training. Sindhu likes lots of training time before a tournament and doesn't perform well in back to back tournaments. I am not worried about Sindhu's performance as its just a matter of time before she finds her feet on the circuit. We have to accept that Sindhu can't focus like Saina Nehwal on the circuit and makes up with her stellar performances at major events. The packed BWF calendar means its unlikely any Indian player will win a title this year. 2019 is more realistic to expect titles without Commonwealth games and Asian games till 2022. The worst performing Indian MS player Sai Praneeth was pulled out of the Japan Open by Gopichand. Praneeth was unable to perform at the Hyderabad Super 100 level, this shows how much he has lost confidence in himself as a player. Self belief is vital for players and without it they will continue to embarrass. Sai Praneeth lost his place in the National side to Srikanth in 2014 and if he continues to lose he will again be dropped and relegated to the B team. I saw some improvement in Srikanth Kidambi. Srikanth finally made it to the QF of a BWF circuit tournament after a long time, he also beat 2 players he struggled to beat at the All England Huang Yuxiang and Wong Ki Vincent at the Asian Games. In slow conditions, physical endurance and patience are important. HS Prannoy did well to beat the Asian Games champion Jonatan Christie but was clearly not in physical shape to beat players like Anthony Ginting. Prannoy beat Anthony Ginting, Chen Long and Lee Chong Wei at the Istora 2017 Indonesia Open when he was physically fit and had better endurance levels. Sameer Verma played well at the Hyderabad Open and missed an opportunity to beat Lee Dong Keun in 2 games at the Japan Open. Before Mulyo Handoyo joined the Indian team, deceptive play was not being taught at the Gopichand academy. Only players who had their foundation with Vimal Kumar, Prakash Padukone were learning deception. Gopichand now has coaches to teach deception at his academy. Mulyo Handoyo's sudden departure has had a major impact on the singles department. While it has partially affected PV Sindhu, Indian MS are the biggest casualties. Indian MS are now a side in transition, they are slowly picking up the pieces and learning to train without Mulyo. It will take sometime for Indian MS to work on their endurance, fitness which in turns gives them mental confidence to perform on the BWF circuit. We should see better performances mid 2019. The final test will be if an Indian MS player can get the self belief to perform at a major, the World Championships. Indian MS should remember, Saina Nehwal used to struggle to go beyond QF at WC till 2014. Saina was so frustrated she was even contemplating retirement. Saina changed coaches to Vimal Kumar and got her breakthrough in 2015 where she made the All England Final and WC Final losing both times to Carolina Marin. She returned to experience Mulyo Handoyo's training and got 3 months with him. Indian doubles players are performing how the singles players used to play in 2013, 2014 the odd one match win. Over the next 4-6 years, 2022-24 we should see better performances and titles being won. Though, we are hoping one or two pairs perform between 2020-22, Satwik/Chirag or Satwik/Ashwini. Doubles is moving in the right direction and I won't be surprised if a doubles pair gets a major medal before Indian MS.
@badmuse- Did you write this post or posting an article?. Thanks for your post. But " MS need time" phrase / sentence can't go hereafter. Better eliminate Sai Praneeth from 'A' team and give a red signal to all others to perform well in the circuit. Sent from my SM-G600FY using Tapatalk
@Baddyforall Yes, I wrote this post, the pic is from Srikanth's Instagram account. I was expressing my thoughts. If the players don't perform well, who are the replacements? The next batch of juniors won't be ready till 2020-24. We are still stuck with these players and have no option but to give them time.
@badmuse Firstofall, thanks for your post sir. We have been talking this for many many years. Still we don't have a system where we clearly know who are in 'A' team and who are all in 'B' team. Do we have any?. Considering Sai Praneeth's embarrassing results on the tour for many many years, we are still in the process of saying that our MS need time. Do you think it is working?. No. It won't. Sai praneeth and Prannoy have been on the tour for many many years(7 years ) in the senior circuit( *probably with government's aid ). Even though Prannoy is a giant killer, he did not win even a single SS title. Sai Praneeth, apart from that one SS title, he did not achieve anything. Very very embarrassing to watch him play. Take some juniors and send them regularly to tournaments. But current system itself is a complete fake. Starting from the selection, everywhere there are holes. India is doomed. Sent from my SM-G600FY using Tapatalk
The A team players are all the ones regularly sent for BWF World Tour Super 750 and 1000 tournaments (previously SS, SSP) and some lower level tournaments.. The players registered for Japan Open and China Open are the current A team players. Only A team players get government funding and full tournament expenses are covered. B team players are sent for BWF Super 500, 300, 100 tournaments. India has a lot of independent players which makes it confusing to identify them. All the B and C team players have to fund themselves. I would put Sai Praneeth in the B team. Players like HS Prannoy help in knocking out some top players and make it easier for Srikanth to win titles. I would say compared to the past selection issues have improved. Yes there is always room for improvement.
Still we keep on hearing about players' tantrums ( which to me are legitimate), for instance removing Aparna balan &co and including Gopichand's daughter. Let us just focus now on MS. I wanna write a mail regarding this. Can every member of this forum of indian origin support that letter?. I wanna mail that to BAI asking them for clarification as a citizen of India . @badmuse Do you know mail id of Vimalkumar and Gopichand? Sent from my SM-G600FY using Tapatalk
