"Don’t do any strange things for preparation" - Pullela Gopichand’s advice for Paris-bound India badminton players

National coach Pullela Gopichand has advised the Indian badminton players not to do any “strange things” in their preparations for Paris Olympics 2024. Badminton is one of the sports India has won Olympic medals in after Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu brought the nation glory. Gopichand said that instead of going for experimentations, the shuttlers should keep things simple.

Sindhu, who is a part of India’s seven-member contingent for the quadrennial event in Paris, will be taking part in her third Olympics. The other members are HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Ashwini Ponappa, and Tanisha Crasto.

“I think the generic message to all the athletes would be to treat it like another match and it’s important that you don’t do any strange things for preparation; keep it simple and treat it like another game, get the preparation right and the matches will take care of themselves,” Gopichand told PTI.

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PV Sindhu has a bright chance: Pullela Gopichand

Expectations will be high from Sindhu, who is the only Indian woman to have won back-to-back medals in the Olympics. Sindhu won silver in Rio after losing to Carolina Marin following which she won the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics.

Sindhu has not won a trophy since the Singapore Open in 2022, but Pullela Gopichand has backed her to perform well in the Paris Olympics. He said that past records against Chen Yu Fei and Xi Bing Jao give Sindhu a decent chance in the tournament.

“I do believe that she has a bright chance. She has draw against the Chinese duo of Xi Bing Jao and Chen Yu Fei and she has done well against both these players in the past. And, I do expect she will deliver at this Games again,” Gopichand added.

The 29-year-old Sindhu is placed in Group M along with Estonia’s Kristan Kuuba and Maldives’ Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq.