Saturday, 8 August: Gearing up for the World Championship, ace Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashyap feels he is playing his best badminton at the moment and hopes his rigorous training in the last one month will fructify next week when the prestigious event starts on August 10.
“My training was good. Gopi sir was happy with the way I was playing, so that’s a good thing. I believe that I am playing my best badminton. It’s all about implementing it on court in the match now. Let’s see how I play,” Kashyap, who reached the quarterfinals of the World Championships in China in 2013, said on Saturday.
Asked about the draw, the Commonwealth Games champion said: “Everyone is tough. There is in-form Kento Momota in the third round. In these conditions he’s the best right now. He won in Singapore and Indonesia, and both have similar conditions. So you know it is a tough draw.” The 28-year-old Kashyap received a big boost when he had defeated the reigning World No. 1 at Indonesia Open in June and that continued to inspire him.
Kashyap, who won the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold early this year, said: “I rate him as the best right now. So I beat the best player and with it the belief that I can win the major championships. Preparation is most important now.” India will be fielding the biggest and strongest contingent at Jakarta, and Kashyap said everyone is in good form.
“Winning a medal is easier said than done but I do believe that most of us are playing really good,” said the Hyderabadi.
PTI