Kidambi Srikanth back on track, big wins not far away: Coach Kashyap

CHENNAI: Former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth, who is out of reckoning for the Paris Olympics men’s singles qualification, is slowly getting back to form. Srikanth did not have a good start to the season as he had a couple of first-round exits. However, he showed glimpses of his old self and made a comeback by reaching the Swiss Open semifinals.

Srikanth’s coach Parupalli Kashyap, who combined forces with the Indian shuttler in November last year, said that he is on the right track and that he is not far away from earning big results.

“Srikanth is doing well now. He was in bad shape physically when I took over as his coach. Maybe he had a few niggles. In January, before the Asian circuit, I told him not to expect any results and that it would take time to get back to form,” Kashyap said on the sidelines of Apollo Tyres ‘Road to Old Trafford’ event here on Sunday.

“Sometimes, you miss figuring out these issues and it happens with all the players. Maybe, he was trying to be careful in the Olympic qualification cycle and did not push hard to remain injury-free. He got a good win against Jonatan Christie (Malaysia Open) and had a couple of close first-round exits. I expected him to do big in the French Open. He beat Chou Tien Chen in the first round. He was playing well against Lu Guangzu, but he did not have the confidence to finish. When you have the baggage of first and second-round exits, you dont think of pulling off matches.

“Good that he reached the semifinals of the Swiss Open and had he reached the semis in the French Open, he could have still been in the race to Paris. He is on the right track. It is going to take time, but you can expect big results from him,” Kashyap added.

‘Sindhu underdog at Paris Olympics’

Kashyap said that PV Sindhu, who is slowly getting back into the groove after returning from injury, would be an underdog in the women’s singles competition at the Paris Olympics. “Sindhu is a big-match player and has produced results in big tournaments. Her form has not been great, but she can do it. You cannot count Sindhu out. Probably, she is an underdog and the pressure is not on her, rather it is on the players who are doing well. This can play to her advantage.”