NAGPUR: At the ongoing 82nd senior national badminton championship, one person can be seen pacing from one court to the other to offer tips to players during breaks. Arun Vishnu, a former doubles and mixed doubles player, is one of the coaches of the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) side which won the team championship on Friday (hat-trick of titles). Since he is one of the coaches at the Pullela Gopichand Academy and there are many from the academy taking part in the tournament, he is helping them out.
With the Indian singles players going all guns blazing all across the world, the focus automatically shifts to the doubles category since the level of performance is yet to make people take notice. However, Vishnu thinks the times are changing.
Kashyap arrives sans bag
World No 45 Parupalli Kashyap arrived on Saturday, but his luggage went missing. It contains his badminton kit. "I called the airlines for my luggage. They said the counter will open on Sunday morning at 10am. Then only they will be able to trace it, they said," Kashyap said. The 31-year-old plays his first match on Monday. "If I do not get my kit, I will not be able to participate in the tournament," Kashyad said.