“If China, the world’s most populous country, can top the badminton chart, I can’t see why India, having a population of 1.2 billion people, can’t be among the top five countries,” said Dabbaransi, here to inaugurate a State-ranking badminton tourney at the Karnataka Badminton Association courts.

Citing the example of Saina Nehwal, currently ranked sixth in the world, Dabbaransi said Indians did have the potential to match the top players in the world. “Saina is a fantastic talent. There are more shuttlers like Saina in India. If you find those players, then you can easily top the world badminton chart,” felt Dabbaransi. “When I travelled to Hyderabad, Chennai and other cities, I saw good facilities and equally good players,” added the 65-year-old.

Dabbaransi was the president of the IBF, now known as the World Badminton Federation, from 2001 to 2005.

The former deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Dabbaransi is here with two 15-year-old Thai shuttlers and is keen on an exchange programme involving young shuttlers from the two countries. “If we can get Indians to come to Thailand and our players to play here in junior tournaments, it will help the players develop their game,” said Dabbaransi.