Kashyap makes giant leap,enters Olympic quarters

Indian badminton has been all about its reigning queen lately

At one point during his pre-quarterfinal match against Sri Lankan Niluka Karunaratne at the Wembley Arena,Parupalli Kashyap went blank and failed to completely see the shuttle. He admitted later that the prospect of a defeat didnt merely cross his mind,but clouded his self-belief and muddled his judgement. Its then that he emptied his mind,checked his instinct to smash,stretched the rally,and regained control becoming the first Indian man to reach the badminton singles quarterfinals at the Olympics.

Kashyaps never had it easy. Why would this be any different even if you are world No. 21,playing a player hovering around No. 50? But as the 25-year-old found out,a different court meant slow-paced shuttles and a style of play Kashyap doesnt quite relish.

Indian badminton has been all about its reigning queen lately. In the 2008 Olympics,Saina Nehwal had become the first Indian woman to reach the quarters. The men have been forced to fight in the shadows.

Story continues below this ad

However,today it all came together,with Kashyap winning 21-14 15-21 21-9 in a clash lasting 66 minutes. Before him,Indias Dipankar Bhattacharya and P Gopichand had only made it to the pre-quarters.

I was confused in the second game,and messed it up. But then I started playing the rallies and that adjustment was important, he said later.

He perhaps played too quick,but took control. He set it up well for the third game, said coach Gopichand. In bigger matches,hell run into the big boys (No. 1 Lee Chong Wei,or Indonesian hope Simon Santoso)… He has to be prepared to play out of his skin.