PV Sindhu and Pullela Gopichand
A RevSportz Exclusive
The draw had finished and Pullela Gopichand had just completed a training session. That was when we managed to speak to each other. “I will take this draw if I was Prannoy,” said Gopi. “Even for Lakshya [Sen], I will say it is much better to play Jonathan Christie at the start of the competition than later on.”
Even before I could ask him about PV Sindhu, he started talking. “Look, for Sindhu, this is the first time that two players from the same NOC is permitted to be in the same half. As a result, she will face He Bingjiao in the round of 16 and Chen Yufei if she makes the quarters. I will say it is a good draw for Sindhu. On current form and fitness, I am very confident she will beat He. And so the one match that she really needs to take out is Chen Yufei.”
Gopi was calm and composed as usual, and I was keen to push him a little on Lakshya and Prannoy. Why did you say what you did about Lakshya, I asked.
“Christie had some fantastic results this year like in the All England, but he also had some ordinary results,” said Gopi. “If you check closely, he has a number of first-round losses as well, so I remain very confident Lakshya can take him out in Paris.
“Coming to Prannoy, I know you will ask me about his health. I see it from a different angle. It could have been far worse. That he is up to speed in this short span having recovered from Chikungunya tells you how mentally strong he is. His training is going very well and I am confident he will be ready for Paris. If you ask me about the draw, I’d take this any day. Unlike Lakshya, he will have to play one less match, and by the time the pool is done, he will be in the groove.”
“Rather, Ashwini [Ponnappa] and Tanisha [Crasto] have a tricky draw,” quipped Gopi. “With the Japanese and Koreans in the same group, they need to win one big match. In doubles, that’s the advantage. You win one big match and you should make it from the group. Coming to Satwik [Rankireddy] and Chirag [Shetty], the draw isn’t done yet, so we need to wait. But frankly, with them, the draw isn’t an issue. If you ask me, I’d say they have every reason to go all the way to the medal. Mathias [Boe, the coach] is here in Hyderabad, and just last week, we organised a tournament for them here internally. They are both fit and ready and should do well in Paris.”
So what will the next 10 days be like, I asked. “Sindhu is training in Germany, while Lakshya is training in France,” said Gopi. “The rest of us are training in Hyderabad and will reach France on the 22nd, which is when we will enter the village.”
Finally, hand on heart, what does your gut say, I asked. I was expecting Gopi to be diplomatic. It is natural with just ten days left for the Games. In London, we had a bronze. Rio saw a silver. Tokyo, it was bronze again. Each time in the last three Olympics, badminton has given India a medal. What was his take this time round?
“Yes, I can tell you I am very confident we will win more medals and better medals this time round,” said Gopi.
If he says so, I believe him. The countdown has started.
