As players take a much-needed break ahead of the Denmark Open in October, it is time to take stock of the state of Indian badminton at the moment. “We could have done better,” said Pullela Gopichand, who is all set to start the journey with the team from October. “Satwiksairaj (Rankireddy) and Chirag (Shetty) are as good as there are in the world and it is time they start winning tournaments. They both have an all-round game and the power they have can take out any pair in the world at the moment.”
With their first medal (bronze) at the World Championships, not to forget CWG gold, Chirag and Satwik are India’s best bets at the moment for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (to be played in 2023) and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Both Chirag (24) and Satvik (21) are young and they will only get better and stronger in the years to come. While he has a poor record against the Malaysians, Gopi said, there is nothing that he does not need to turn the tables.
“Most matches have been close. There are very few like him and he should be able to make things count,” said the head coach. “We’ve had a great season and we will only get better. We have great on and off court chemistry and that’s the key to being a good doubles team.”
Dhruv Kapila and Arjun Madathil Ramachandran also did well at the World Championships in Tokyo last month, beating the 8th-ranked Danish pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Skarup Rasmussen, the men’s doubles, not the traditional Indian strength, now looking in pretty good shape. Used to be. , However, the same cannot be said about female singles. Saina Nehwal is clearly the shadow of the player she once was, and Akarshi Kashyap and M Al Avika Bansod have not shown much to be hopeful of.
So, it will all boil down to PV Sindhu in 2023 and 2024, with a young Tasneem Mir expected to get better with time. Sindhu, who has performed brilliantly at the Singapore Open and Commonwealth Games, knows how to handle the big stage. Regardless of his ranking, few would like to bet against him in Hangzhou and Paris. Soon after her Commonwealth Games win, Sindhu’s coach Park Tae-sang said, “She has stepped up her game and it is showing.”
“The plan should eventually be Paris 2024,” said Sindhu, currently recovering from an ankle injury that kept her out of the World Championships. The men’s singles also looks to be in good health, Lakshya Sen has improved a lot and HS Prannoy has the best season ever. “It was a very good season, though I would have liked to be more consistent,” Prannoy said. Prannoy, 30, played some incredible matches and got some incredible victories, but could not win a major title. They lost several semifinals and that’s where they need to get better in 2023.
“If we are able to work on Prannoy, there is no reason why he cannot do well in Paris. He has beaten most of the top players and has an all-rounder game.” While Kidambi Srikanth was brilliant in the Thomas Cup, he has struggled since then. But it is too early to write that. “I don’t want you to forget Srikanth. “They always have a chance given their quality,” Gopi said, adding that Lakshya now has one of the best defenses in the world.
So, if you ask me, they are all looking good in 2023.” In women’s doubles, Teresa Jolly and Gopichand have shown promise. “They need to add some more power to their shots, especially on the slow court. If If they do that and they are both very young, they can be a force to be reckoned with in Paris 2024,” said one of the coaches on the tour with the team. Overall, Indian badminton will look at 2022 as a success but With the feeling that it could have been better with one or two more titles.
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