When India’s original badminton queen, Saina Nehwal, was struggling to come to grips with world number one Tai Tzu Ying during her quarter-final exit at the All England Championships on Friday, 8 March, she may have hoped for encouraging words from the stands from fellow Indian shuttler and husband Parupalli Kashyap.
But Kashyap, it emerges, is a hard taskmaster – and the 2014 Commonwealth Games champion, reportedly, admonished the Olympic and World Championship medallist for playing weak shots.
Saina had lost each of her last 12 meeting against the Taiwanese supremo, and Friday wouldn’t prove to be any different.
Trailing 3-11 going into the break in the first game, the 28-year-old copped an earful from Kashyap.
“If you want to win the match, understand that you have to be disciplined. You are playing some stupid shots.”Parupalli Kashyap
The reprimand appeared to make some impact, as Saina reduced her deficit to 12-14, winning nine of the next 12 points. However, she could not prevent Tai Tzu Ying from stretching her lead again, and eventually lost 15-21, 19-21 after 37 minutes.
Kashyap was heard advising Saina after the first game as well: “Control the shuttle and go for the shots, like you did in the end. You were lifting the drop shots again and again and leaving your court open.”
Again, it seemed to bring an instant response, as the 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist opened up an 8-3 lead in the second game – only for Tai Tzu to storm away with the next eight points to lead 11-8 at the break. before closing out the win to seal a spot in the semis.
Tai Tzu Ying is seeking a third consecutive title at the prestigious All England Open, where no Indian has been victorious since current chief coach Pullela Gopichand’s triumph in 2001.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)