Since his gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games last year, Parupalli Kashyap has had tough time on the court. The shoulder injury that relapsed last year and kept him out of competition for several weeks, still gives him trouble and he is forced to wear a strap while playing. Despite enjoying success at the Syed Modi International Badminton Championships where he beat fellow Indian Kidambi Srikanth in the final, he’s had an inconsistent year.
However, things are starting to look up for the Hyderabadi shuttler. Beginning the year as World No. 16, he’s moved up the ladder to No. 10 in the rankings announced on Thursday — thanks majorly to his last week’s win over World No. 1 Chen long at the Indonesia Open. It was the first time in 14 years that an Indian had beaten a top ranked player. The last one to do so was his coach Pullela Gopichand at the All England Open in 2001 when he beat Denmark’s Peter Gade on his way to the magical victory.
In his 14-21, 21-17, 21-14 victory over the Chinese, Kashyap exhibited his ability to win big matches. Not that it needed any validation since he had beaten long in 2012 as well but this one, Kashyap said, was a much different win.
“last win was three years back in the second round while this was in the quarter-finals. It was great last time and it is now too. However, much credit should be given to him for his consistency to stay at the top. He was higher ranked to me then and is No. 1 now. It’s as if all hard work paid off,” said Kashyap.
Even though it was a perfect win to stage a coup and bag that elusive Super Series title, Kashyap stumbled in the semi-final to lose to Japan’s Kento Momota despite being two points from victory. “He picked up a few good shots at the end to bring it back to 19-19 and then went on to win. I was thinking about the final result. But I don’t think it is an overall issue because it happens in one match and not another. Even against long, I was up 18-10 to see him bring it back to 19-14,” said the 28-year-old.
It is no secret that Kashyap yearns for a Super Series title and he’s come close on multiple occasions. Some seniors have told him to let go of the sheer desire in order to finally achieve it and he’s accepted that. “Yes I think I have to let go of it. My performance in the tournament (Indonesia Open) was excellent and I beat tough opponents in each round. I do have a few things to sort out,” said the Hyderabadi.
So, is it the stage frightIJ “I have won big tournaments such as the CWG,” Kashyap said and added that it’s not easy to put it down to one match and that it happens at times.
“After the match you can have a bigger view while during it, you just think of the next point. I’ve made the semis of a Super Series event about 7-8 times now. I could have done better but I think mentally I wasn’t very comfortable. But that’s the thing, you can’t think of one moment because it is a collective effort. I do believe I was the better player on the day but he remained relaxed. I was possibly in a hurry to finish things off and closing it out didn’t work.”
Kashyap is yet to qualify for the Rio Olympics but he is not worried and has started working on it. But before he launches his Olympic qualification bid, he plans to take a week off to rejuvenate his mind. And then go all guns blazing for the next big assignment — World Championship in Jakarta starting August 10.