Veteran badminton player and mentor of top shuttler PV Sindhu, Prakash Padukone, believes that India has a strong chance of winning three medals in badminton at the Paris Olympics and this includes a hat-trick of medals for Sindhu. India has sent a seven-member badminton team which includes the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and two Olympic medalists Sindhu. Padukone said that Sindhu is working hard for her third consecutive Olympic medal in Paris and is expected to perform well.
He said, 'We are trying and hoping for good practice. Sindhu has worked incredibly hard for the Olympics. However, nothing can be certain or committed at this stage. Her preparations are going well and she is playing well in the practice sessions. So everything has been very good in terms of preparations.'
Prakash, a veteran shuttler, former All-England champion, and world number one in his heydays, said he is focusing on improving Sindhu's strategy on the court and she has also improved a lot under his guidance. Prakash said, "I am focusing on improving the strategy on the court. On when Sindhu has to use which stroke and how to play with the mind. About nine months ago she was a bit low in confidence due to frequent coaching changes and was not able to identify what was going wrong with her." Prakash said, "We have worked on her mental strength and strategy and ensured that she uses the right stroke better. We have tried to cut down on mistakes and play percentage badminton. Knowing when to attack the opponent player or when to defend and play safe. Everything is being taken care of, but it is yet to be ascertained whether she can repeat that form during the Olympics." Despite Sindhu's failure to win any title so far this year, Prakash feels her ability to shine in difficult situations and being India's most successful female player at the Olympics will help her perform at her best. Sindhu is the only Indian woman to win two Olympic medals, a silver in Rio in 2016 and a bronze in Tokyo.
Prakash said, "She is not in her best form recently. However, this may reduce the pressure on her. The expectations are low and even reaching the quarter-finals will be seen positively. But I see her beyond that. If she can regain the form and present it on the court, like what she is doing in practice, then I think she will do better than in previous tournaments." He said, "The gap between the top-ranked players is very small and this is also an important way to deal with pressure in the Olympics. Sindhu also benefits from this as she has won two Olympic medals. We keep reminding them to focus on their game and the result will be good. Apart from Sindhu, Prakash picked the Satwik-Chirag pair in men's doubles and Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy in men's singles as potential medal contenders.
Prakash said, 'We have a chance to win medals in all three events. We can win medals in men's singles, women's singles, and men's doubles. The men's doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been very brilliant and have defeated top players. They also have a pretty good draw. Lakshya Sen has a tough draw, but he has defeated his opponents Jonathan Christie, Kevin Cordon, and Julian Caraggi in the past. So it depends on his current form. This is his first Olympics, but he should not worry about it and take it as any other tournament. HS Prannoy has not been in the best form, but sometimes it can be a blessing because expectations have a little weight and you can peak now, it can go both ways.'
He said, 'We are contenders in all these three competitions. In women's doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto have a challenging draw, but if they qualify further, it will be easy.' Badminton matches will start on Saturday (July 27) in the Paris Olympics. India has won a total of three Olympic medals in badminton so far. Apart from Sindhu's two medals, India won bronze in the 2012 London Olympics. Saina Nehwal had won the medal then.
Sikandar VS Pushpa1: Sikandar wiped out Allu Arjun's Pushpa, and broke this record on Wednesday
No matter how much struggle Salman Khan faced in his film career in the beginning, but now he has reached that level of stardom where the film business of more than 100 crores on his name alone. The
Nayanthara: The name of Nayanthara's new film is out, the teaser shows a powerful action-packed style
Nayanthara is in the news these days for her documentary Nayanthara Beyond the Fairytale. She is also in the news due to the controversy with actor Dhanush over copyright issues. Meanwhile, her new
IND vs AUS: Virat's return to form will make him forget the bitter memories of Adelaide 2020, he has scored a century in four day-night tests
After breaking the pride of Australia in Perth, the Indian team is ready to take revenge for the bitter memories of Adelaide. About four years ago in Adelaide, the Australian team had given India a
All flights to the Middle East canceled: Many airlines decided Israel-Lebanon tension; See list
Keeping in mind the safety of passengers amid the ongoing tension in the Middle East, many major airlines including Air India have suspended their flights to the region. Concerned about the safety of
Team India: Ashish Nehra's statement on Gambhir and Kohli, said this on sharing the dressing room
Former Indian fast bowler Gautam Gambhir has claimed that he does not see any problem between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir will start his tenure as the head coach from the Sri Lanka tour
Pahalgam Terror Attack: Bollywood condemned the attack, and actors including Akshay-Sanjay Dutt shed tears after seeing the brutality
The horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir has shaken the entire country. About 26 innocent people lost their lives in this attack, due to which there is an atmosphere of mourning and anger
Salman Khan: Salman received a grand welcome in Jamnagar, hugged the Ambani family's elder daughter-in-law Shloka
On his birthday this year, Salman Khan was spotted arriving in Jamnagar amid tight security for the celebrations. Khan was joined by his family and friends in the city to join the celebrations on his
Jammu Kashmir: 'Make democracy stronger by voting', PM Modi's special appeal to the youth regarding the first phase of voting
The first phase of voting is being held in Jammu and Kashmir today. Assembly elections are being held in Jammu and Kashmir after 10 years, for which there is a lot of enthusiasm among the voters.
Sonakshi Sinha: Is Sonakshi going to give good news? The actress broke her silence on the news of pregnancy
Sonakshi Sinha married her boyfriend Zaheer Iqbal in June this year. The registered marriage took place in a private ceremony and then the reception party was attended by close friends and family
Akhilesh Yadav: 'Election Commission is dead, will have to present white cloth', Akhilesh Yadav's tongue slips regarding by-election
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has given a controversial statement on the allegations being made regarding the Milkipur assembly by-election in Uttar Pradesh. He said that this is the way BJP
