145;Saina is a top-five material146;

Prakash Padukone thinks that Saina Nehwal has arrived as a complete player. Currently ranked No. 11 in the world, the shuttler has the potential and, as he succinctly put it, has 8220;the right temperament and attitude8221; to reach the top-five in a couple of years8217; time.

Prakash Padukone thinks that Saina Nehwal has arrived as a complete player. Currently ranked No. 11 in the world, the shuttler has the potential and, as he succinctly put it, has 8220;the right temperament and attitude8221; to reach the top-five in a couple of years8217; time. But the legendary badminton player has a piece of advice to offer: 8220;Pick and choose your tournaments. That is what separates a mature player from the also-rans,8221; said Prakash after inaugurating the Punjabi Bagh Club prize-money tournament here this morning.

Admitting that Saina is the best thing to happen to Indian badminton, Prakash said it is up to the current crop of players to keep themselves fit. 8220;But that is only possible if a player is able to pick his or her tournament properly because playing in more tournaments would mean suffering niggles as tournaments takes place every week.8221;

Giving credit to Saina8217;s coach, Prakash said that Pullela Gopichand, who is also the national coach, has aptly planned her schedule and it is paying rich dividends. 8220;Badminton these days has become more demanding and players will have to work on their fitness accordingly. Otherwise, players could end up suffering one injury or another which can keep them out of action for quite some time,8221; he warned.

Talking on Anup Sridhar and Chetan Anand, the former All-England champion said he was following Anand8217;s recent exploits and was immensely pleased. But he said he would not say that great talents have emerged in the country. 8220;Yes, these players have been able to change the scene quite a bit with right kind of exposures but, by no stretch of imagination, I would say we have arrived.8221;

Prakash was suggesting that India have quite a long way to go despite improvement in the game. 8220;For that matter, we should say that every sport has improved. But in terms of the popularity of the shuttle game we have still miles to go. 8221;

Recalling his days, Prakash said there were fewer tournaments abroad and still fewer competitions at home. He also said that there was only one academy in Bangalore that he floated after retiring from the game. 8220;But today, there are academies in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. Clubs organizing tournaments like here is another good example of how the game is gaining in popularity.8221;

But he rued the fact that India were unfortunate not to produce players in multiples. Citing the example of Nandu Natekar, Syed Modi, Gopichand and now Sridhar or Anand, he said it has been India8217;s problem because no more than a single player dominated at a particular point of time. Prakash was a loner when he dominated the game in the 80s until he retired.

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8220;Unlike in China, Indonesia and Malaysia or in the European nations where badminton is a big-time game, India have never thrown up a combination of players at any specific juncture. We haven8217;t had more than a single player doing consistently well to give tough competition.8221;

Speaking on his experience, particularly his deceptive game, when he went to play in Denmark 8212; he stayed in Copenhagen for six years 8212; after winning the All-England champions in the 80s, he said he had gained much after playing the likes of Martin Frost. 8220;Yes, it was a good experience but the youngster Frost was able to sort me out after a few years. But I must admit I had gained more and I have no regrets whatsoever.8221;