Parupalli Kashyap says the badminton environment in India is “quite disappointing.” The former world No. 6 and full-time coach at Gopichand Badminton Academy has urged increased professionalism. Kashyap, 38, stated that things had improved since the 2010 Commonwealth Games. More academies have been established, and the sport is more financially viable. However, he noted that the sport is not administered professionally. Kashyap, the runner-up at the 2017 US Open Badminton Championship.
He was enjoying his time as a coach. Indian badminton has struggled with form. They have failed in numerous events and finished on the podium a few times. Following these dismal performances, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) aims to move away from the culture of private tutoring progressively. They will focus on group training sessions conducted by national instructors. This is done as the upcoming Olympic cycle progresses.
Nearly all of the finest shuttlers in recent years, notably PV Sindhu and the doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, have benefited from personal tutoring before contests. This comes after the BAI reached out to foreign coaches to take over Indian shuttlers’ responsibilities. Many Indian badminton players were invited to talk on the subject. However, the majority declined, alleging that BAI had not yet notified them.
India’s Badminton boom is just a mirage
Parupalli Kashyap stated that the required structure for Indian badminton was not in place. He mentioned that a few individuals in the country were doing significant groundwork, but unfortunately, they were neither involved in the larger system nor had the liberty to structure it properly. He further noted that while players like Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rawat, and Rithvik Sanjeevi showed promise, there was no control over how the system operated.
Kashyap emphasized that producing champions would require making decisions such as hiring qualified professionals to improve the overall framework. He said, “I am very passionate about coaching but I don’t know how long it will last if I don’t see any reward in this. Because it is quite disappointing, embarrassing and dejecting too when you hire foreigners for ₹10-15 lakh.”
