'Hope to get back into form'

Badminton: Kashyap eyes Indian Open as a stage for return

It was not how Parupalli Kashyap had imagined things to unfold when he beat K Srikanth and laid his hands on the Syed Modi GPG Trophy at the start of the year.

If at all, the victory promised a superb season for him. Injuries, though, return to haunt him, forcing an early exit from the prestigious All England tournament.    

Now a fit-again Kashyap is looking ahead with hope. Ahead of the Yonex India Open Super Series, starting here on Tuesday at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, Kashyap insisted that his confidence was intact and the athlete in him restless to perform in front of the home crowd.

“I have been training for the last two weeks and I am feeling good.  I had a good start to the year when I won in Lucknow despite an abdominal tear. The tear was a serious one, it sidelined me for three weeks and then within just three days of training I pulled up my hamstring.

It took me over nearly one and a half week to recover and didn't give me much time to prepare for the All England.  It was very upsetting with the rehab process taking time. Anyways, that’s over now and I want to look ahead,” Kashyap told Deccan Herald. “I now want to do well in the qualification period (for the Olympics) which begins from Sudirman Cup.”

India Open holds good memories for the 28-year-old Hyderabadi. Understandably, he nurses the desire to become the first Indian to win the home event. “I didn’t play much after the Syed Modi.  I had to withdraw from the German and Swiss Open where I believe I could have even won. So, I can’t say much about my form but I am definitely hoping to get into a good rhythm with this tournament,” said Kashyap, who would play Jen Hao of Chinese Taipei in the first round and called him a tricky opponent.

“But I have done well here and always enjoyed playing in front of the home crowd. They just push me to do better.“

With legendary Lin Dan taking the pride of the place in the draw, a tough field is on the cards. Kashyap, however, felt that Indians have every reason to back themselves. “Well, it is great to have someone like Lin Dan coming here but I am here to win, too. I would love to play against him but will treat him like any other opponent. The Indians have done well coming here, with Srikanth winning the Swiss Open. Also, there is a hype surrounding Saina (Nehwal) becoming World No 1. So, I really hope it turns out to be a good week for the Indians,” said Kashyap.