“We can definitely expect a medal from them” - Vimal Kumar lauds Treesa-Gayathri’s performance at the Badminton Asia Team Championships

Indian women had an exceptional week at the Badminton Asia Team Championships, and coach Vimal Kumar is already eyeing bigger and better things for the shuttlers in the coming months.

Playing in Malaysia, India got the better of multiple big names, including China, Japan, and Thailand en route to the country's first-ever gold at the tournament. Standout performers from the team included the doubles duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayathri Gopichand, as well as upcoming singles star Anmol Kharb.

Jolly and Gopichand have seen a dip in form in recent times, and are currently outranked by compatriots Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto in the Race to Paris rankings.

However, at the Badminton Asia Team Championships, Treesa and Gayatri beat Japanese World No. 6 Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida, and Thai World No. 10 Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Pra Jongjai of Thailand in consecutive matches.

Speaking about the duo's performance, Vimal Kumar was all praise.

“I give a lot of credit to Treesa and Gayatri for the way they have performed this week. They have done incredibly well. They have a great chance of a medal if they qualify for the Olympics. We can definitely expect a medal from them,” he told PTI.

The director of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy was also impressed by youngster Anmol Kharb’s outing in Malaysia.

“Anmol’s fearlessness stands out. She’s gritty, and her attitude and approach is perfect for team championships. We were always concerned about women’s singles, and out of the blue came Anmol. It has been heartening and gives a lot of hope to us,” Vimal Kumar added.

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Vimal Kumar left disappointed by the lack of badminton live telecast in the country

While Vimal Kumar was happy with the display Indian shuttlers have been putting up on the home ground and overseas, he was disappointed about the fact that fans aren't always privy to the heroics of the players.

Most recently, despite the Badminton Asia Team Championships being an important event on the BWF calendar, the matches weren't broadcast on a single TV channel in India.

Speaking on the lack of live telecast, Vimal Kumar expressed his frustrations to PTI, saying:

“I am disappointed with the lack of broadcasting of the event. It is an important event, and fans had to google to find out where can watch it.”

Vimal Kumar went on to add that he intends to take action about this by reaching out to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

“In a sport like badminton, we are doing well. Lots of good youngsters are coming up, and they need to be projected. It can lift the nation. I plan to write to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry regarding this,” he concluded.