Future bright for India: Gopi

Hyderabad: India’s chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand is right now affording a smile or two.

This became clear when he interacted with the media here on Tuesday, alongside PV Sindhu, on their return from the Badminton World Championship-2017 at Glasgow.

However, being the tough taskmaster that he is always reputed to be, Gopichand basked less in the latest successes of his protégés and dwelled more on setting the agenda for the immediate future.

Stating that Sindhu ( who won a silver) , Srikanth, HS Prannoy and Saina Nehwal (bronze) were destined to scale further heights on the career fronts, he said the focus of attention ought to be as much on fitness as on improving the game. This was more so for the men, he contended.

He showered lavish praises on the latest poster girl, who now is the owner of silver medals from both Olympics and the World Championship, a feat unparalleled by any Indian. He said that she and Saina had come at the right time and together both were carrying the national flag to amazing levels. He pointed out that having raised the bar, the two have inspired the next generations of girl-shuttlers.

Gopichand, meanwhile, sees a bright future for Srikanth, who, according to the guru, has the wherewithal to go places. He expects that Srikanth could have podium finishes, sooner than later.

In his characteristic style, the coach pointed out that the girls had raised the bar by several notches with their gutsy performances and now the onus was on the men to keep the good show running with their exploits.

On her part, Sindhu yet again rued missing out on the gold, even as she said that she was more than delighted with a silver finish, which adds to the two bronze medals in the prestigious championship that are already in her envious kitty.

The 22-year-old, who is now Deputy Collector at Krishna district, said that having played a marathon final against her Japanese opponent Nozomi Okuhara, she had realised the importance of staying fit.

An off-shoot of the wake-up call has been that she will now endeavour to improve her fitness levels, which could be achieved by a balanced diet and sound sleep.

Fitness mantra has been integral to the regimen incorporated at the famed Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy (PGBA), which is mandated on every trainee.

Gopichand, while insisting that Srikanth would achieve a medal soon, also foresaw golden finishes for Sindhu, in the not too distant future.