Player-coach Parupalli Kashyap believes he still has enough in the tank

Parupalli Kashyap won a small BWF tournament in Austria in February 2018, but has not made a mark in the bigger events.

Kashyap, currently No.55, has entered the quarterfinals.

Of late, Parupalli Kashyap has been seen more behind the court than on it. As coach to wife Saina Nehwal, he has been watching the game from a different perspective. “You get to see the action from another angle. From the outside, everything looks easier and one knows exactly what a player should do at a given moment,” Kashyap says. “I can use that information when I am in a match myself.”

His time out due to various injuries has allowed Kashyap to accompany his wife while she plays on the circuit. His own ranking has also fallen considerably, meaning he can’t get direct entry into many top tournaments. But the 32-year-old from Hyderabad has no intention to hang up his racquet anytime soon. “I’ve the game and experience to compete at the highest level even now. It’s just a question now of improving my rankings so that I can get into the tournaments I need to play.”

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With Saina skipping this year’s India Open due to medical reasons, Kashyap did his cause no harm, getting the better of Thai Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 21-11, 21-13 to advance to the quarterfinals. The result was hardly a surprise as the Indian had beaten his opponent in four out of their last five encounters, but Kashyap’s ranking has fallen to 55 and hence, the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist can hardly afford to take any match lightly.

“After the shoulder injury suffered in the Premier Badminton League, I’ve had a shin fracture and problem with my back. It has been mentally tough. Missing the Rio Olympics was a big setback for me,” he says.

Kashyap won a small BWF tournament in Austria in February 2018, but has not made a mark in the bigger events.

“I got married in December, missed a PSPB event, got sick at the Nationals, and even had to be hospitalised in Indonesia due to viral fever. “This is my first quarterfinal in a long time. Nobody can tell you how to make a comeback in such a situation. My body is also not the same it was when I was 20.”

But Kashyap is not putting his racquet away just yet, and finds inspiration from his own sport and beyond.

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“Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei have been competitive in their mid-30s and have not retired yet. And we have seen what Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been able to do,” the shuttler reasons.

“My goal still remains to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, and not just make up the numbers there. I want to contend for a medal. For that, I need to get into the top 25 so that I can make a schedule around the Superseries events. But we’ve such strength in depth in Indian badminton, with five high quality players, that whoever goes to the Olympics will be a genuine medal contender. But overall, (Kento) Momota seems to be at a different level altogether. He seems one step ahead of the others.”

But without a lot of matches under his belt, it has been tough for Kashyap. “Subtle things like movement and connecting with the shuttle take time to return. Also, it gets difficult to win the crucial points. If you play one match in two-three months and lose that, you tend to wonder what to do next.”

Kashyap wants to give his career another shot, but coaching his wife on the circuit has provided him an inkling about the road he wants to take once his playing days are over.

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“I’ve enjoyed coaching and will look to carry that forward whenever I retire. I can’t stay away from the game.”