The Indian badminton team finished third in the recent Sudirman Cup and got eliminated in the group stages after losing to Chinese Taipei and Malaysia in back-to-back matches. They defeated Australia to finish third in the group.
HS Prannoy believes that there were plenty of positives from the campaign despite the elimination being a very hard pill to swallow for the shuttlers. He feels that the environment among the players will help India rise again.
It is a very disappointing event for the Indian shuttlers as it was their first team event in two years where they did not come home with a podium finish. They won the gold medal in Thomas Cup, silver in the Commonwealth Games mixed team event and bronze in Badminton Asia mixed team championships.
In an interview with The Bridge, HS Prannoy shared that it was just a blip from the shuttlers and they are disappointed in the way the tournament ended for them. But the greatest gift that he feels is the camaraderie among the shuttlers. “I don’t think anything went wrong as such. It was disappointing, to be honest, but I think there are a few positives also. The biggest positive is the bonding between the team. From last year’s Thomas Cup to Asian Badminton Championships, where we won bronze, the team environment has been brilliant.”
Prannoy believes that these types of tournaments are required in one’s career to keep one grounded and let one know that one must continue working hard. “I think in sports you have to take such hard pills from time to time. It is a big learning for the team and we will make sure to avoid our mistakes next time,” he added.
India did get a consolation win over Australia but they were already out when they lost to Malaysia.
The experienced shuttler shared how one match in these encounters swing the momentum in one team’s favour. He highlighted the first mixed doubles match and felt that India had a genuine chance of winning that but it eventually didn’t happen and that took the wind out of their sails.
“In such team events, all you need is one game to shift the momentum. For example, if we had won the first mixed doubles game against Chinese Taipei, the result would have been different. That win could have changed the perspective of our team. None of those momentum matches went our way as they had at Thomas Cup or ABC,” Prannoy explained.
The Indian team has been a tightly knit unit and Prannoy’s words just justify that even more. They are always together in joy and also in agony. The camaraderie is brilliant and Prannoy feels that the experienced senior guys have played a huge role in making everyone comfortable.
“I think that what has changed in the last year is that the senior players have stepped up. We are trying to make sure that everybody is talking or having a conversation with everybody, having team meetings separately with only the players in a way that the junior players are a little bit more comfortable talking and sharing their experiences,” he revealed.
Lastly, World No.7 believes that a strong unit will always have the edge in team events and it will always come back from these blips. He shares how everyone is there for everyone else and all of them want to play in team events which makes things really great. “Team spirit comes from this culture where everybody is ready to help everybody. I think it has been good and every player wants to play team events and experience this culture of travelling together and supporting each other. It’s a conscious effort that has resulted in something really good,” he concluded.
It will be a very exciting few months for the Indian shuttlers who have looked in no form at all as the Asian Games is fast approaching.
