Indonesia’s Irwansyah Adi Pratama has taken control of the Indian women’s singles shuttlers. Coaching PV Sindhu and others at the national camp in Bengaluru since the new year. It has been established that Irwansyah would only coach the women’s team. Another foreign coach is expected to be hired for the men’s singles group within the next week. Irwansyah, a former Indonesia head coach.
He is associated with the growth of former Asian champion Anthony Sinisuka Ginting and reigning All-England champion Jonatan Christie. His time at home ended in December after he clashed with the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) over Christie and Ginting’s failure to go beyond the group round at last year’s Paris Olympics. In India, Irwansyah has replaced his compatriot Agus Dwi Santoso.
Following the previous Olympic cycle, when most of India’s top shuttlers had personal trainers. The BAI intends to promote group training under a single head coach for each category. For example, Malaysian coach Tan Kim Her, who is famed for pairing Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, was reinstated as the doubles head coach last month to replace Dane Mathias Boe. The decision to pursue combined training came following the Paris Olympics.
Indian Badminton Faces a Divide
Indian badminton players failed to win a medal for the first time in four years. Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary general Sanjay Mishra said on Monday “We will also be bringing on board Indian coaches to train and spar with our top shuttlers. Former players like Manu Attri have already joined the setup and started coaching our top doubles player. We have spoken to the players and they have all agreed to train in a group.”
PV Sindhu said “It is good for others and also good for me. They spar and make it difficult for me. It will be like a conference where they are also improving and so am I competing against each other. In the women’s singles draw, Sindhu will take Busanan Ongbamrungphan’s position and face Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei in the first round.”
