Prakash Padukone assesses India Asian Games badminton as disappointing

Former national coach Prakash Padukone assessed the country’s performance at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as a little disappointing, stating that players should have matched or surpassed their previous medal tallies. The 1980 All England champion pointed to India’s sole team bronze in badminton at the multi-sport event as a result that fell short of the nation’s available talent. Indian shuttlers returned empty-handed in individual events following four quarterfinal exits.

Prakash Padukone Assesses the Asian Games Performance

I think it was a little disappointing. We should have done much better, Padukone told reporters during an event to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the Padukone School of Badminton and former India cricketer Nilesh Kulkarni’s International Institute of Sports Management. He added that the team should have equaled or improved upon the previous medal count from the Hangzhou Asian Games, where the men’s team secured a silver medal.

At the Aichi-Nagoya Games, the Indian men’s team settled for a bronze medal after losing 1-3 to China in the semifinals. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty provided India’s sole victory in that tie by defeating reigning world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang 21-11, 22-20. World No. 14 Lakshya Sen opened the semifinal against sixth-ranked Shi Yu Qi, losing 16-21, 18-21, while world No. 20 Ayush Shetty fell 19-21, 13-21 to world No. 12 Li Shi Feng.

Padukone Urges Players to Prioritize Key Tournaments

Addressing the players’ struggles with consistency, Padukone noted that the demanding year-round schedule makes maintaining peak form difficult for everyone. However, he emphasized that the issue is not a lack of institutional support.

They play throughout the year, so it’s extremely difficult to be on the top all the time for everybody. But I would definitely like the players to be more consistent, and it is possible. It’s definitely not a lack of support.

Padukone advised top players to select four or five key tournaments each season to peak during those events rather than attempting to win every week. He also praised two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu for maintaining her competitive hunger following her recent Japan Open triumph, suggesting that younger athletes like Lakshya Sen should emulate that drive rather than resting on past achievements.

Upcoming Scoring System Adjustments

Looking ahead to regulatory shifts in the sport, Padukone highlighted the upcoming introduction of the 15-point best-of-three scoring system next year. He noted that the adjustment will increase the difficulty for all competitors globally.

Because just one or two points here and there and you can lose a game or a match. So starting next year they are bringing it down to 15 best of 3. So we will have to see. I don’t know whether we are now losing because of fitness, recovery, playing too many tournaments.

He suggested that athletes may need to alter their gameplay and adopt a more aggressive style to handle shorter matches under the new rules.