PTI
New Delhi, August 24: Amid all the celebrations regarding PV Sindhu and the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy another old warhorse of the institution has decided to follow the Saina Nehwal path.
Recovering from a knee injury, Parupalli Kashyap has shifted his base to Bangalore to train under coach Tom John and get back to his best for the upcoming tournaments in Indonesia, Japan and Korea. Initially, Kashyap had stated that it was a temporary move, but sources confirmed here Wednesday, that he will be staying in Bangalore for good.
“It has been a difficult time for me since I injured my knee in the run up to the Olympics. It was disappointing to miss out of Rio. So I thought I should do something different to get back to shape,” Kashyap said Wednesday.
“So I came down to Bangalore and have been training here under Tom John in his academy. I wanted to train with physical expert Deckline Leitao at Bangalore and that was the main reason of coming here. I will chart my course of action after playing a few tournaments next month.”
The first Indian male shuttler to reach the men’s singles quarterfinals at the London Olympics, Kashyap was set to qualify for Rio before a knee injury at German Open in March crushed his dreams.
“I had injured my medial collateral ligament in right leg and had to go under the knife. What followed was a long rehabilitation process. I wanted a change in atmosphere, so I decided to shift to Bangalore for some time,” said the Glasgow CWG gold medallist.
“I am playing Indonesia Grand Prix Gold. And I have sent my entry for Japan and Korea Open. I am trying to get the visas and sort my bookings,” he added.
Saina had split with Pullela Gopichand in 2014, after which she has been training with Vimal Kumar in Bangalore.