HYDERABAD: Parupalli Kashyap is a trier. He is star material but hasn’t achieved stardom. The last year’s World Championship was a classic example of how luck deserted this aggressive shuttler, who missed the medal by a single point. Nevertheless, he has the 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medal to cherish and as he enters the Glasgow Games, he is hoping for a reversal of fortunes.
The 27-year-old feels that the Delhi CWG was one of the most important events of his career. “It was the turning point of my career. Badminton took a big leap and I have very good memories as I won a bronze medal. CWG is extremely competitive but it is not as tough as a Super Series. It becomes tough because of the pressure of a team event. And it happens only once in four years. For me, winning the bronze was special,” recalled Kashyap before his departure to Glasgow.
Kashyap said that four teams–England, Singapore, Malaysia and India –are the frontrunners. “All the teams are good. Luckily, we have a good team. It is a strong team. England have a good doubles teams. So do Malaysia and Singapore. These four teams, including India, will fight for gold,’’ he added.
The World No 21 said it is physically tough to keep going in successive events, as the CWG is followed by the World Championship and Asian Games. “They are all major events and you want to do well in all three. The intensity-level is very high when you play in these tournaments when compared to Super Series tournaments. But I’m not thinking of the next two tournaments. My focus is now on CWG.’’
Kashyap, who had reached a career-high ranking of six before slipping, said he has been trying hard to regain a top-10 spot. “I’m trying to work with my coach. It depends on the individual’s effort. Maybe, a little bit of effort was lacking in recent times. I also got injured a couple of times in 2013 after the World Championship. I’m still trying to figure out how to get into the top 10 and start winning tournaments. The next two years are very crucial for me,’’ he said.
He still rues the lost chance at the World Championship last year. But he is far from devastated. “Frankly, I’m not disappointed. I will be disappointed if I don’t work hard. Winning or losing happens in sports. I have some goals and I want to reach them. I enjoy playing this game and if I get good results I will be very happy,’’ he said.
Inspired by Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei, he is ready to go for that extra mile. “These two are very inspiring to many players. Into their 30s, they are able to not only maintain but also improve their game and fitness level.” He believes the new point system will result in more upsets. “We have to yet train in that format. It will have more upsets. Smaller format will give opportunity to attacking players,” he concluded.