He still charms and conquers, with his humility
The nervousness was obvious. It had to be. After all, it was a rendezvous with someone going by the name of Prakash Padukone.
“Let’s sit outside,” were his first words, pointing towards a place outside the badminton courts at the Cricket Club of India. “No, I’ll take my own chair,” was the next soundbyte. The introduction had a soothing effect. Almost immediately, awe replaced nervousness.
India’s latest badminton sensation, Saina Nehwal, had to be the first topic. “She’s perhaps the brightest prospect from the country in years,” is Padukone’s first observation. “She has it all, strength, technique… Though she is short, she compensates for it with her power.”
But aren’t her losses after her victory in the Philippines Open disheartening? “Not really. One can’t expect her to win every tournament. It’s a feat in itself that she won a grade 4 tournament. Even I hadn’t won a major tournament when I was 16,” the 51-year-old says.
“Players like Saina have an advantage in the new 21-point system. The seeded players are just not as consistent as they were in the 15-point system, which provides more chances to the underdogs to script an upset,” the 1980 All England Open champion reasons.
It would be criminal if he’s not asked about the current Indian badminton scenario as compared to that in other countries. “They (countries like Denmark, China and Indonesia) have a system in place and that has been so for years together. They have a large pool of players to choose from, so their results are not surprising,” he explains.
What’s stopping India from having a system in place? “We are gradually moving towards having a system. Academies are coming up in different parts of the country. Till then, it is pretty normal to have such odd winners,” he says.
He is also optimistic of a couple of players to leave a mark. “Chetan Anand has been doing well, and I am confident about others like Anup Sridhar, Anand Pawar, Ajay Jairam to do well at the international level. Players like Sridhar have age on their side as well,” he says.
But isn’t the women’s game going nowhere, apart from Aparna Popat? “Aparna is strong technically and she has done well, though she could have done better. I believe that had she been physically stronger, she would have done a world of good to her career,” he says.
Will it help if we had more tournaments in the country? “Without doubt. Those playing for India get sufficient number of tournaments to play but others need more. At a senior level, we need at least eight tournaments more. As far as juniors are concerned, they are getting a fair share,” he says.
Players like Pullela Gopichand (also the current national coach) and Popat emerged during his stint as executive president of the Badminton Association of India (BAI). Perhaps, a longer association could have helped.
“But I feel I have done what I could in the four years I was there. I want to stay away from any kind of politics. Moreover, it is a full-time job and I don’t think I can devote so much time especially with my academy on as well,” he explains.
So when do we see another All England title coming to India?
“I only hope it doesn’t take 21 years (Gopichand won the title in 2001, 21 years after Padukone’s 1980 triumph). We have players who have the potential. It is difficult but not impossible,” he says.
We’ll go by your words.