There is no excuse, this is an occasion: Vimal on India’s Asian Games prospects in badminton

NEW DELHI: Former badminton coach Vimal Kumar believes India can better the tally of three medals which they won in the previous Asian Games, but for that, he says the singles players should overcome their inconsistencies and deliver in key matches in Japan.

At Hangzhou in 2023, India bagged an unprecedented men's doubles gold medal through Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty,

a men's team silver and a singles bronze through HS Prannoy.

"There is a good possibility. What I have observed is that among the Asian teams, India, at the moment, has quite a formidable team. We reached the Thomas Cup semifinals and beat teams like Chinese Taipei convincingly," Vimal told PTI.

"A lot will depend on the first two singles. Lakshya and Ayush Shetty have to give us a good start. Then we have Satwik and Chirag, and the third singles could be Pranoy or Srikanth.

"Both Pranoy and Tharun Manepalli are going through a slightly poor patch, but we are definitely in with a good chance. If they click, we can do better," he added.

A 20-member Indian badminton contingent is set to take on other Asian giants starting with the team event on September 20, followed by the individual competitions on September 25 at Aichi-Nagoya.

Vimal, the lead coach at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, was direct on the need for Indian singles players to convert their ability into consistency, especially when the stakes are high.

"That is where our players are faltering. So, you have to show, play consistently well, especially important matches," he said.

Talking about Ayush, who defeated Shi Yuqi at the World Championships opener but couldn't make it to the medal round, the reputed coach said: "If you look at it, he has beaten all the best players in the world in the last six months. And these are occasions, you know, you have to play. There is no excuse.

"You cannot just say, I was nervous and I was not in form or injured. No, this is an occasion and it's an opportunity. And you get noticed.”

Vimal said Ayush already has enough experience to handle the pressure.

"He is already an established player. He has the experience. You should just play and don't think too much," he said.

"And that's how you show your mettle. There is no excuse. You cannot just talk about pressure or anything now. You just have to go and perform. He has done good work and trained well. So, just go and play and do well.”

India's top ranked player Lakshya, ranked 14th in the world, has made early exits in the last five events, including the World Championships at home and Vimal revealed that he was bogged down by a back issue but has regained fitness.

"Lakshya had a little bit of an issue with his back. Right through the last one month, it has been troubling him. It had probably started even before the World Championships. Subsequently, he went and played at the China Masters. The problem persisted, and he didn't do well in either of the tournaments.

"But what I have observed over the last couple of weeks is that he is back to his training sessions, he is doing well and the sessions have been going well. So hopefully, he has recovered. But again, I hope he gets some good matches. The more matches he plays, he tends to play better.

"But we have no option. He will have to play at number one. From whatever I have seen over the last two weeks, he seems to be in better shape and good spirits. Hopefully, he can give us a good start."

Srikanth and Prannoy provide experience, but Vimal wants greater consistency from the two senior singles players. Srikanth reached the US Open final this year and recently beat Victor Lai.

"...they are capable of beating any player. Because of their experience and skill, they are capable of beating the top players.

"But it all depends on, that consistency has been missing. But we have no option. We are depending on them and so let’s see how they… Srikant definitely is a capable player, no doubt about it."

Vimal believes the men’s singles field has also become increasingly open, with around 25 to 30 players operating at a similar level.

"Yeah, it’s very open now. About the top 25 to 30 players are playing at a similar level. And so, nobody is showing that consistency and different players are winning tournaments.

"And maybe Shi Yuqi, in my opinion, I would rate him as one of the most complete players among the lot. He is also going through a lot of issues with injuries. China is struggling with good men’s singles players. So, it is very open.

"So, whoever is able to play that particular week consistently, they can do well. But there is a lot of depth in men’s badminton."

The new 15-point, best-of-three-games format will require some adjustments, and Vimal is expecting more emphasis on speed, reflexes and avoiding mistakes.

"It is going to be a lot more about speed and reflexes and the most important aspect is zero mistakes. We cannot afford to make mistakes."

He said players will have to adapt quickly, particularly with Olympic qualification also beginning next year.

"None of the top players have played in this format before. Whether it is singles, doubles, ladies, anybody. So, they all have to get used to it. So, from October-November itself, the training pattern and everything will change. And players will be training towards how they can adapt to it quickly," he signed off.