How has Indian badminton changed after PV Sindhu's silver medal in Rio Olympics?
I have seen a big change in Indian badminton. It has been an all-round change in terms of popularity, press coverage, number of players playing badminton, number of club level players playing the sport. There has been a manifold increase in all aspects. There is a very positive development for Indian badminton. The silver medal has given a big boost to Indian badminton. We will definitely see India win many more medals in Olympics. I am confident and optimistic of the future of Indian badminton.
Not many including you expected Sindhu to play in an Olympics final. They thought Saina Nehwal to better her 2012 bronze medal performance...
Yes. See, Olympics was more about mental pressure. Sindhu did well to even exceed the expectations. Very creditable by Sindhu in her first Olympics to get a silver medal. I hope she continues to work harder and is not satisfied with the silver medal. She is capable of winning a gold in the future Olympics. She is still very young.
What do you make of her back-to-back Superseries finals post the Olympics?
Like I always keep saying, I would advice her to plan her tournaments. She needs to plan her tournaments in such a way that she also gets time to recover, gets enough time to train and then play in tournaments. Even if it means that she has to skip a few tournaments, it doesn't matter. It is important to try and reach the peak in the important tournaments. You should play well in tournaments for which you have prepared well. Also, there would be less chance of injuries. This, in turn, prolongs one's career. Her coach and she should decide which tournaments she can play and how much to play. There will be a couple of tournaments that are not important, she could skip those. This ensures that every time you play, you are at your peak.
Where does that leave Saina, now back from a surgery, with?
Saina is very determined. She will come back. These injuries are a part of the sport. She is already getting back on the court. It will take another month or so. She missed qualification for the December's Dubai Superseries Finals. That will give her a little more time to prepare. It will be a matter of time before she gets back to her top form.
What does Saina's injury lay-off post Olympics do to her mentally?
She is strong enough mentally to handle such injuries. Otherwise, she would not have reached the level that she has reached now. It is a little disturbing during the injury phase when you are not able to train. It is tough because you are used to a particular schedule and are not able to follow that, and when you see other players playing. When this period is over, it is a matter of time before she can forget the injury phase.
Which one of the two Olympic medals would you choose – Saina's bronze or Sindhu's silver?
Both are equally important. Saina's bronze was the first one. The first one is always special for Indian badminton. Similarly, Sindhu's silver. Let's hope next time we get a gold from one of them or from the men's singles players. We should go for gold and I will be the happiest person if somebody can win a gold for India in badminton.
But the results in men's singles have been inconsistent...
They need to be a little more consistent, find out what is required and take inspiration from Saina and Sindhu – 'If they can win an Olympic medal, so can we'. And, see where they can get better. They have to try to win a couple of Superseries events. There is so much depth in men's singles. Sameer Verma entered the final of a Hong Kong Open Superseries recently. Then you have Ajay Jayaram, HS Prannoy, Parupalli Kashyap… We need to capitalise on this (Sindhu's Olympic silver).
