Prannoy Confident Of A 2023 Redux

HS Prannoy keeps going back to 2023. Coming off a tough couple of years that saw him struggle with post-Covid health complications and a subsequent dip in performance, Prannoy turned things around dramatically that year.

A World Championships bronze en route wins over then world No.1 Viktor Axelsen and former world champion Loh Kean Yew, an Asian Games singles bronze and a team silver, and a career-best rank of world No.6 all arrived in a space of months, a culmination of backroom grind that had been on for “at least a couple of years”.

Two quiet years on, Prannoy is hoping for a similar turnaround. “The game is definitely there. I have the confidence to go deep in competitions” he told HT on Friday.

“We’re not thinking of Asian Games just yet, but it would be nice to get on a winning run by then. Without doubt, the competition at the Asiad is tougher than the Olympics and you end up playing a lot of quality opponents early in the draw,” he said.

“First rounds are always tricky because you have nerves to deal with, and then you’re up against a truly world-class opponent. But as was the case in 2023 when I peaked after two quiet years, I hope to do the same this time as well.”

Despite a string of early exits, Prannoy is happy with the way his game is shaping up.

“I feel I have played really well this year after quite some time. Even though, the results don’t look great... Malaysia first round, Singapore second round, Indonesia first round. But all of them were very close matches and in most of the matches, I was leading,” Prannoy, who is backed by Reliance Foundation, analysed.

“In Singapore against Loh, I thought that I could have wrapped it up. I probably had a chance to go really deep there because he went on to play the final. The win against Jonatan Christie also was a big confidence boost for me. But definitely, there are things to work on towards the endgame. Especially, in the third game, second half, I couldn’t finish off quite a bit of matches.”

One of the solutions, he feels, lies in adding variations to his net game. Since the start of the season, Prannoy, along with coach RMV Gurusaidutt, has been working on adding new shots to his repertoire to stay relevant.

“You need time to gain confidence to try those strokes in match situations, but I used some of those in Singapore and was happy the way they came out. I have to sharpen a lot of shots. I’ve been somebody who has always been a runner and has always played a very physical game, more than a skillful one,” said Prannoy.

“At this point, it is important to make sure that I have a lot of variations from a lot of positions, and the shots need to be executed in a much more consistent way. That is something which I am trying to do since the last 3-4 months. We have been trying to include a lot of new shots, particularly at the net. At this point in men’s singles, it is important to have a lot of new shots coming in from the net so that you get a good opening. Then you’re able to continuously put pressure on the opponent.”

The shuttler also expressed confidence in India’s next generation of men’s singles players. As of now, Lakshya Sen (world No.14) is the only Indian in top-20. Up and coming Ayush Shetty is No.21 while Kidambi Srikanth (world No.39) and Tharun Mannepalli (world No.47) are in top-50.

“We have some great talent. There’s Ayush and I am also impressed with the way Tharun is shaping up. Kiran George (world No.51) has had some struggles but I hope he finds form soon. There are lot of players who reach top-70 and then somehow get lost in the system. We need to identify them and bring them into top-50 and gradually groom them into potential top-10s,” Prannoy, who is part of IOC’s ‘You Can Do This. Let’s Move’ initiative in India, said.

“The problem is most of our players train separately unlike earlier when at least the top ones would train together and push each other. It would be a challenge to get into the top-4 of the academy, forget getting into the Indian team. I feel we need to go back to that system.

“Sport is something which is not just high performance and not just about getting medals. We have to take it as a lifestyle. And I’m glad that over the last few years, we could see a shift in the way people are taking up sport, not just to play professionally, but to stay healthy.”

Shantanu Srivastava is an experienced sports journalist who has worked across print and digital media. He covers cricket and Olympic sports.