Exclusive Interview: Focusing on staying injury-free: Parupalli Kashyap

This piece was published in Sportskeeda


Parupalli Kashyap remained the country’s top-ranked men’s singles player for a fairly long time before K Srikanth surpassed him earlier this year. The Hyderabad lad, who is India’s first men’s singles player to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympics, had a mixed bag kind of year with slew of injuries not helping his cause. The 28-year-old touches on various issues concerning the game in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

You started the year with a singles ranking of 16. You hovered in the twenties for a long time and now you are back again at number sixteen. How would you sum up your performance in 2014?

I had a decent performance this year; of course, it could have been better if the injuries did not come in my way. I sustained shoulder and hip injuries this year, which affected my rankings to some extent, but overall I’m happy with my efforts this year.

You had the satisfaction of being the country’s top ranked men’s singles player for a fairly long time before K Srikanth surpassed you in February this year. How disappointing was it for you?

Obviously to be the country’s top ranked men’s singles is hugely satisfying and of course I’m disappointed to lose that status to K Srikanth, who has been playing really well over the past twelve months or so.

You reached the semi-finals of the 2014 Swiss Open and 2014 Denmark Open. Looking ahead, do you think you could have done better this year?

Like I said before, I could have fared better if I stayed injury-free but I have taken everything in my stride and staying positive.

You scaled your career-high ranking of 6 in April 2013. You are 28 now – do you think the best of Parupalli Kashyap is yet to come?

There is no doubt about that. I have six-seven years of top-notch badminton in me and I don’t doubt my abilities one bit. I still desire win the All England Championships, World Championship besides an Olympic medal before I retire. I’m keen to accomplish them in the coming years.

Do you think the might of Chinese, Malaysian, Korean, Japanese, Indonesian among shuttlers of other nations are wary of the Indian players in terms of doing more pre-match homework?

Exactly! Indian shuttlers are consistently doing well in international events and when players do well, opponent tend to do a lot of pre-match homework and I have no doubts that the Indians are watched more by opponents in terms of strategizing and planning.

What would you have to say about the dream run of K Srikanth as a senior international player?

Srikanth has been having a phenomenal 2014. He has won the China Open and stayed very consistent this year breaking into the top-10. He is high on self-belief and has matured as a player.

The Indian Badminton League (IBL) started in 2013 and the second edition will be held next year. Do you think money is pouring into badminton in the country?

The IBL is a great concept and players are benefiting a lot. Having said that, I feel a beginning has been made through IBL, but a lot more needs to done before badminton can become the money-spinner like some other sports.

Finally, what are your goals for 2015?
First and foremost I want to stay injury-free and once I do that I’m pretty confident of breaking into the top-10. Hopefully, I would steer clear of injuries and achieve what I intend to.

9th ranked India upset 4th ranked Belgium 4-2, meet Pakistan in semis

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Belgium had enjoyed the psychological advantage going into their Champions Trophy quarterfinal match against hosts India having beaten the Sardar Singh-led side twice earlier this year – first at the Hockey World League Final Round in New Delhi (3-2) and at the World Cup in The Hague (2-1).

The 9^th ranked Indians who pulled off a stirring 3-2 win over 2^nd ranked the Netherlands in their final league tie, were hardly bothered by all such statistics as they dished out an exhilarating brand of hockey to prevail over 4^th ranked Belgium 4-2 to reach the final of the Champions Trophy.

The Red Lions, who had maintained a clean slate in the league phase, did not take much time to hit the right chord, forcing their first penalty corner in the 10^th minute, which resulted in a follow-on short corner after onrushing Vokkaliga Raghunath denied them a shy at the Indian goal.

Denayor drilled home his drag-flick to the right of Sreejesh as the noisy Kalinga Stadium crowd went subdued. India mounted raids from the right flank with Dharamvir Singh being twice denied from scoring by Belgium goalie Vanasch. Belgium seemed to seize the initiative when Sebastian Dockier made it 2-0 in the 18^th minute, beating Sreejesh all ends up.

Trailing 0-2, India dugged deep into their reserves and forced their first penalty corner – Rupinder Pal Singh fired home the set-piece to herald his team’s fightback. There was an extra spring in the strides of the home side, who egged on by a boisterous crowd, evened things up when SK Uthappa scored in the 27^th minute, tapping home a superb slide slap from Raghunath as both teams went into the half-time break with the scoreline reading 2-2. 

Belgium gave the Indian defence a torrid time in the early stages of the third quarter with Van Aubel missing a sitter. The world number four outfit enjoyed the numerical superiority as both Birendra Lakra and Rupinder Pal Singh were green-carded,but could not take advantage of it.

Undaunted by the Belgium belligerence, India pulled ahead for the first time when Akashdeep Singh slotted home after Vanasch thwarted an attempt from SV Sunil after Ramandeep Singh set it up from the baseline. India raised the excitement level of the home crowd when Dharamvir Singh reaping the benefits of a counter-attack after Belgium were denied from scoring off their fourth penalty corner.

India surrendered a bit of the advantage in the closing stages as Rupinder got his second green card, which translated into a yellow card, but did not suffer any serious damage as they held firm to close out a memorable 4-2 win, to set up a mouth-watering semifinal clash with arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday. Australia play Germany in the other semifinal.

9th ranked India shock 2nd ranked Netherlands 3-2

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Redemption was what India was looking for after two morale-crushing defeats against Germany and Argentina. The intensity and doggedness of the Indians has impressed many, but not quite the final scoreline as late goals in both games undid the home side.

The 9^th ranked Indians reserved their best for their final league tie against Olympic silver medalists as they turned in some scintillating hockey to rack up a famous 3-2 win.

It was another fast-paced encounter against and the Indians were undaunted by the reputation of the world number two side as they enjoyed more than decent possession to nullify the thoughts of a one-sided contest.

India showed serious intent to move forward, though they found it hard to breach the crowded Dutch defence. Akashdeep Singh took his side’s first attempt at the Dutch minute off a nice SK Uthappa feed from the left in the 10^th minute, but his shot was blocked by Dutch goalie Blank.

It was again SK Uthappa, who created another goal-scoring opportunity in the second quarter, but Ramandeep Singh, who only had the Dutch goalkeeper to beat, could control the ball as it sailed wide. Ramandeep atoned for that engineering India’s first penalty corner in the 24^th minute, which resulted into a follow-up PC, but the hosts failed to profit from that.

The Dutch gave India some jittery moments when they forced their first penalty corner in the final minute of the first half, but Mink van der Weerden’s drag-flick hit the crossbar as both teams went into half-time goalless.

The Kalinga Stadium went into raptures when SV Sunil gave India the lead in the 34^th minute tapping home after Gurjinder Singh slapped it in from the outside the striking circle. The Dutch were soon on level terms when Mink van der Weerden converted their third penalty corner in the 36^th minute.

There was plenty of excitement going into the final quarter as both teams looked to break the stalemate. Manpreet Singh regained the lead for India in the 47^th minute off a drill-in by Gurbaj Singh. Rupinder Pal Singh converted India’s third short corner to make the scoreline 3-1 with eleven minutes to go for the final hooter.

Mink van Weerden reduced the deficit in the 57^th minute, but India avoided any hiccups in the closing stages to close out a superb win. India will play 5th ranked Belgium in the quarterfinal on Thursday.

India lose 2-4 to Argentina

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

A late-goal defeat can often deeply hurt a team’s morale. Clearly, the Indian team needed to get that ‘late goal’ monkey off their backs when they took on higher-ranked Argentina in their second Champions Trophy game at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Sunday.

The ninth ranked Indians dished out another fighting performance, but Argentina exuded plenty of resurgence to score two final quarter goals to script a 4-2 win. The blue-and-white brigade first struck through Agustine Mazzilli and Joaquin Menine struck with a minute left for the final hooter even as the home crowd was left disappointed.

This was India’s second defeat to Argentina in the Champions Trophy – ironically Argentina had won their only previous clash at the 2003 edition by an identical 4-2 margin.

The home side showed promise upfront with SV Sunil getting himself into a good position only to see his deflection well saved by Argentinean goalkeeper Vivaldi.

The home side were under a bit pressure in the early period of the second quarter when Argentina forced their first penalty corner when Raghunath carried the ball inside his own’ D’. Much to the relief of India, Argentina’s drag-flick expert Gonzalo Peillat could not take his flick as the ball was not stopped properly.

India showed more urgency in their attacks, using both flanks to penetrate the Argentinean defence. Gurbaj Singh essayed a superb run on the right and worked his way from the baseline, but was thwarted by Vivaldi.

India looked more pumped up as the match wore on. The combo of Akashdeep Singh and Kothajit Singh set up a nice move for Ramandeep Singh, whose deflection came into the way of Vivaldi.

The persistence of India reaped dividends when Akashdeep Singh put the home side ahead in the 29th minute off a drill-in by Gurjinder Singh from outside the striking circle. Hardly had India celebrated the goal, Argentina responded through Lucas Villa, who was playing his 150^th international as both teams went into half-time with the 1-1 scoreline.

India regained the lead in the third quarter when Gurjinder Singh fired home his team’s first penalty corner in the 37th minute. Like the opening half, Argentina hit back almost immediately with Juan Lopex slamming a high ball beating Sreejesh all ends up in the 38th minute.

India were left frustrated when Gurjinder Singh’s rebound conversion of the team’s penalty corner was denied by the video umpire in the closing stages of the third quarter. Argentina rubbed salt to India’s wounds struck twice in the fourth quarter to glean full points.

Germany ride on last minute goal to beat India 1-0

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

How many times have India lost matches courtesy last-minute goals? The defeats against Belgium and England at the 2014 World Cup are still fresh in hockey fans’ minds. And on Saturday, one witnessed the national team being once again devastated by another last-minute goal as they lost to Olympic champions Germany at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.

Florian Fuchs silenced the noisy home crowd with a strike in the final minute, in a match in which India looked good to pull off a point.

Germans like to spray passes around the pitch, and build pressure in the midfield, but the Indians foiled their game plans a bit hustling them out of their stride for most part of the match. The confidence of beating world champions Australia in a four Test series in Australia was clearly apparent as they look undaunted by the reputation of the Olympic champions.

Germany applied pressure from the outset and forced two penalty corners in the opening quarter, but India weathered the onslaught to gradually get into some kind of rhythm. Akashdeep Singh had a good opportunity to put his side ahead, but his deflection sailed wide even as the opening quarter ended goalless.

India forced their first penalty corner in the second quarter, but Gurjinder Singh’s drag-flick after Raghunath sold a dummy was blocked by Nicolas Jacobi. Lalit Upadhyay was nicely fed by Nikkin in the second quarter, but his deflection was way off the mark. The German defence was caught napping when Nikkin essayed a pass to Sardar Singh, who could not control the ball in a one on one situation with goalie Nicolas Jacobi.

A fast-paced encounter which coast-to-coast action brought to the fore the brilliance of Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who frustrated the Germans to no end pulling off eye-catching saves time and again much to the joy of the boisterous Bhubaneshwar crowd. He foiled an attempt off Zwicker before churning out an air-borne save to deny Moritz Fuertse from scoring off Germany’s third penalty corner. Sreejesh also denied Gramsbuch as Germany found the Indian goalie a difficult wall to breach.

The Indian goalie was at his imperious best tumbling to his right, blocking Germany’s fourth short corner. Indeed Sreejesh's heroics went in vain by Germany's last-minute goal.

Exclusive Interview: Will take one game at a time: Sardar Singh

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

The exit of head coach Terry Walsh ensured Indian hockey walked down the ‘controversy’ path. And the timing could not have been ‘worse’ given the fact that the premier Champions Trophy was just two weeks away. Given this scenario, the Indian team under the inspirational leadership of Sardar Singh will be looking to put all that ‘controversy’ behind them and continue their recent good run with a solid showing in the Champions Trophy.

The 28-year-old Indian skipper spoke to Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q First of all, how is the team is coping with the absence of chief coach Terry Walsh?

Well, Terry Walsh’s one-year contract has ended and now Roelant Oltmans has taken charge. I don’t think much will change as we have Oltmans and the same support staff for the Champions Trophy. We are focused on faring well in the Champions Trophy.

Q Terry Walsh had an outstanding one-year run as chief coach. How would you recall his coaching stint?

Look, the team have performed well in the last twelve months – we won the Asiad gold after eighteen years, bagged a silver in the Commonwealth Games and then beat world champions Australia in a four Test series in their own backyard. So obviously, the results have been highly encouraging and there is no doubt that he is a good coach. His one-year contract has ended and we now have to move on.

Q How would you rate India’s chances at the Champions Trophy given the form the team is in at the moment?

We are working hard and if the players execute their game plans strategized by our coaches we should do well. All teams are strong and cannot be taken lightly. We will take one game at a time and see how it goes.

Q You had a twist in your ankle during the four Test series in Australia. How is it holding up?

I twisted my ankle in Australia and have taken adequate rest, but in the practice game against Australia here I had some issues, but hopefully I will be fine for the tournament.

Q Talking of the four Test series in Australia, how do you asses India’s performance given the fact that we lost the first Test 0-4?

I thought the boys showed a lot character to rebound after losing the first Test. Our possession was solid and there was less mispasses, which helped our team to stay competitive against the world champions. Beating in Australia is never easy but the boys did really well to win the next three Tests and the series.

Q Penalty corner conversion has been a concern area for India over the years – do you think there is improvement this year?

I reckon our penalty corner conversion has improved from what it used to be earlier. The likes of Rupinder and Raghunath have plenty of experience behind them and then we have Gurjinder who has showed good form in the practice games in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy. PCs hold the key in crunch games and I hope our drag-flickers will not let us down.

Q The Champions Trophy is being held in Bhubaneshwar – a pocket where hockey is quite popular. How has been the atmosphere at the Kalinga Stadium in the run-up to the tournament?

The atmosphere has been great as hockey is very popular in Odisha. Even during practice sessions and practice games there has been a decent turnout. As for me, I have played only once at the Kalinga Stadium at the 2014 Hero Hockey India League and the turf looks good as well.

Q The first two editions of the Hero Hockey India League has been a big hit with the spectators. The 2015 edition will be expected to enhance the popularity of the league. Your thoughts.

The first two editions showed that a lot of new talents sprung up and I’m sure the 2015 edition will see more new talents come to the fore – guys who can a part of the junior and senior teams in future.

Ceat Pune Invitational Supercross League could be a game-changer

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

Indian sports have taken a new leap in terms of getting a much-needed corporate push. If the Indian Premier League revolutionized the way the shorter version was played, the advent of Hero Hockey India League, India Badminton League, Indian Kabaddi League, Indian Super League, and Champions Tennis League over the last couple of years has convinced sports buffs that all sports can have their place under the sun.

The so-called ‘franchise model’ seem to be finding comfort across various sports, with now even an adrenaline-pumping sport like Supercross walking down the ‘franchise model’ path. The three-legged Ceat Pune Invitational Supercross League 2014 has attached a significant ‘first’ to itself with the hosting of this franchise type event. Seven teams – Bhalla Royale, Aranha Racing, SKP Highrollers, SAN Racing, Pashankar Racing, PB Racing, DSK Racing are vying for honours in this three-day event.
All team owners, who are from Pune, picked 40 national riders and 8 international rider following an auction held on 2^nd November in Pune. Leading Indian riders like Harith Noah from TVS Racing, Pramod Joshua, V.S Naresh, R Natraj, and Madhu are participating in this championship.

This franchise-format Supercross event is being talked about as the best thing to have happened to the sport in the country. “It’s just what the doctor ordered. The start of this franchise format augurs well for Supercross in India. Our riders can really benefit as international riders are also taking part. This is an opportunity for the Indian riders to make the most of it,” says a FMSCI official.

Over the years, Supercross did not have much to offer to the winning riders prize money-wise. But Ceat Pune Invitational Supercross League 2014 is surely going to changed that. Bangalore’s Pramod Joshua emerged the most sought after rider with an auction fee of Rs.1,10,000 in the MX 1 category, which just sums the fact that money is fast coming into Supercross. “It’s a great thing to see riders win attractive prize money, which was not the case earlier. Riders work really hard and sacrifice many things to live their passion and it is nice riders are being taken good care off in this event. Earlier, riders would win a cash prize of Rs 15,000 to 20,000 but things are getting better,” the official said.
Clearly, the ‘franchise style’ Ceat Pune Invitational Supercross League 2014 will be a ‘big first’ for the development of the sport in the country. The event is set to be a game-changer for the sport of Supercross in the country.

Supercross walking down the ‘popularity’ path!

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

It’s a sport that lived the days of oblivion in its nascent years and has gradually shot into prominence. Supercross has indeed witnessed soaring popularity over the years ever since the sport was introduced in India in the early eighties. Supercross first provided the ‘international flavour’ in the country with the staging of the prestigious international motocross race (Rodil Trophy) at Pune in 1984.

The craze for Supercross is not difficult to fathom. Sport buffs relish adrenaline-pumping action and Supercross fits the bill with riders wowing the spectators with their table tops, berms and camel jumps. Basically, it’s a sport the crowds get their money’s worth.

Supercross is run in India by one central body - The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), who have steadfastly worked towards giving the sport a more ‘organised look’. The FMSCI National Supercross Championship was first conducted in the mid-nineties and with passage of time, the sport spread its wings.

It won’t be wrong to say that Pune was the place where Supercross had its birth as the first ever event was believed to have been staged there. Supercross has been immensely popular in Pune and soon the popularity percolated to the other pockets of the nation like Mumbai, Nashik and Kolhapur. Supercross also enjoys a loyal following in areas
like Bangalore, Mangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore. “Supercross is fast catching up. It is spreading beyond these pockets. Now we have riders emerging from Madhya Pradesh and Delhi for various competitions. It won’t be long before it spreads to the Northern belt as well as in the eastern part of India,” observes Praful Sacheti, FMSCI Chief Steward.

The FMSCI organises a decent number of Supercross events every year. Unlike the earlier National Supercross Championships which featured five rounds, the 2014MRF Mogrip FMSCI National Supercross Championships featured six rounds with the event being held in Nashik, Pune, Chennai, Coimbatore, Mangalore and Bangalore.

Watching a Supercross event undoubtedly provides extreme joy, but hosting an event of this kind is always fraught with challenges given the fact that dedicated dirt tracks are few in India save for a couple of them in Nashik and Kolhapur, both of whom are privately run.

“Preparing a makeshift dirt track is not easy. The involvement of technical experts is a ‘must’ so things like proper curves, jumps have to be taken into consideration,” says Sancheti, a former Supercross rider of the nineties.

Of course, taking up Supercross can never be an easy proposition as it is an expensive sport. A Supercross bike can cost anywhere between Rs 7-8 lakh, while the kit (includes jersey, trouser, helmet, chest guard, kidney belt, racing boots), of a rider can cost you around Rs 1 lakh. Supercross has all the moral support of the government agencies,but since they are not directly recognized by the government, the sport hasn’t been able to wear a ‘fully professional’ look, with most riders vroom for the sheer passion. “Most riders do jobs related to the automotive industry and are into Supercross for the unbridled passion they possess.”

The 3rd Ceat Pune Invitational Supercross League, which will witness its third and finfinal round from December 12, will surely provide an extra fillip to the growing popularity of Supercross in the country. The event is being organised by Vilo Event, whose Event Director & Partner is former international rider Eeshan Lokhande.