KUALA LUMPUR – India’s head coach, Pullela Gopichand, believes that his women’s team’s historic win in the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC) marks the dawn of a new era for the country’s shuttlers to further propel and excel in major tournaments.
Under his guidance, India defeated Thailand 3-2 to be crowned champions at the Setia City Convention Centre yesterday.
The squad, with an average age of 22.6, won their first title since the tournament began in 2016.
Women’s doubles player Tanvi Sharma is the youngest in the team at just 16-years-old.
Speaking to Scoop, Pullela, a two-time Commonwealth Games medallist during his days as a men’s singles player, said that with the team’s historic BATC win, his coaching team would continue to nurture more talent for the country’s success on the international stage.
“It’s really a wonderful moment not only for myself but for the whole nation. The girls worked hard for this moment, and I’m happy that all my efforts paid off.
“It was not an easy journey for us as we, with a young team, had to battle against powerhouses such as China, Japan and Thailand.
“We have created history, but for me, this is the dawn of a new era. Myself and the coaching team will continue nurturing more young girls to bring glory to the country.
“Our doubles players are 20-years-old, and the singles player that won us the match is 17-years-old, and we also have a doubles player who is 15-years-old.
“We are not going to stop nurturing them for more success in the future,” said Pullela when met after the prize-giving ceremony at the Setia City Convention Centre yesterday.
Pullela founded his academy, the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, in Hyderabad in 2004.
His legacy extends beyond his achievements, as evidenced by the stellar performances of his proteges like Saina Nehwal, Srikanth Kidambi, P.V. Sindhu, H.S. Prannoy, and now India’s highest-ranked men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
India’s success at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where Sindhu clinched the silver medal in the women’s singles under Pullela’s guidance, stands as a testament to his remarkable coaching prowess.
The 50-year-old coach further commended the performance of women’s singles player Anmol Kharb.
He believes that the 17-year-old has the potential to win an Olympic medal for India in the near future.
Anmol rose to the occasion after her heroic performance in the semi-finals against Japan, securing the title for her country by defeating Thailand’s Pornpicha Choeikeewong in yesterday’s decisive final match.
India’s world number 472 caused an upset against her 45th-ranked opponent, winning 21-14, 21-9 in a 43-minute bout.
“Anmol’s gameplay was excellent. She had the guts and energy, and I had never seen something like that from a 17-year-old girl. The courage that she has whenever she steps up in big matches is remarkable.
“She will quickly get to where she belongs, and I believe that she’s just getting started. If she continues her momentum, without any doubt, she will keep winning major medals for India in the future, such as in the Olympics.
“Anmol’s success in the tournament is a testament to everyone that we should not judge a player based on their rankings.
“Our BATC victory is indeed a big boost for us in our campaign in the upcoming Uber Cup and for the Paris Olympics,” Pullela added.
India secured their berth in the upcoming Uber Cup finals in China, scheduled from April 28 to May 5, by being one of the top four teams at the BATC.
They had never won the competition since making their debut in the tournament in 1957 in England and have finished as bronze medallists in three editions (1957, 2014 and 2016). – February 19, 2024