Kashyap aims to get back into top-10

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Parupalli Kashyap

The last three tournaments saw India’s top shuttler Parupalli Kashyap making first round exits, resulting in a seven-place drop in his career rankings. From a career-best sixth, Kashyap dropped to 13th in the men’s singles, but he is hopeful of breaking into the top-10 bracket again.

“My aim is to get back into the top-10. I want to do well in the world championships and qualify for the Super Series finals. I know I can come back and the best part is I am fully fit,” Kashyap said.
It’s been six months since he won any major title but an optimistic Kashyap is not losing his sleep over a slump in form and is determined to bounce back with a strong showing in the world championships next month.
“Gopi sir (Pullela Gopichand) has planned out a new schedule for the world championships. Singapore and Indonesia were totally different and the world championships in China will be a different ball game. It was little tough for me in Indonesia and Singapore. I need to be more quicker in China,” Kashyap said.
The Hyderabadi lad said he was working on his defence and rallies, besides adding variation to his game.
“There are few corrections that need to be done in my defence. I am working on that and I hope to hit good form before the world championships. In the last two tournaments, I did not perform well. Hope to rectify my mistakes before the worlds,” he added.
Kashyap, who is one of the six icon players in the upcoming Indian Badminton League, said he expects the tournament to raise the profile of the game in the country.
“I expect it to be successful and I expect badminton in India would become more popular. I hope I can live up to the icon player tag in the IBL,” said Kashyap, who managed to reach the quarter-finals at the All England Championships in March this year.
The IBL is all set to hold its first players’ auction in the capital on July 19 with more than 150 shuttlers expected to go under the hammer for 66 slots in six teams. Each franchisee can feature 11 players, including a maximum of four foreign shuttlers and one Under-19 player from their catchment area.