CHENNAI: Even as Kidambi Srikanth made an early exit from the Dubai Super Series Final owing to his second consecutive loss on Thursday, it couldn’t take the gloss off what has been a breakthrough year for the 24-year-old. Over the last 12 months, Srikanth became the first Indian to win four Super Series titles in a calendar year as well as achieving a career-high ranking of world No. 2.

In addition, B Sai Praneeth won his maiden Super Series title in Singapore in April while HS Prannoy finds himself ranked No. 10 in the world.

Former world No. 6 Parupalli Kashyap, who has seen these players emerge from close quarters at the Gopichand academy in Hyderabad, thinks these guys can deliver in events like Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, both scheduled for next year.

“Srikanth, Prannoy and Sai Praneeth are all capable of winning gold at the Commonwealth Games. They are winning Super Series events, which I wasn’t able to do. They are all very close to winning medals at events like the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympics,” Kashyap said during the sidelines of an event organised by Chennai International Centre (CIC) here on Friday.

While it is only in the last one year that Srikanth, in particular, has emerged out of the shadows of Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, the 24-year-old’s ability was apparent right from the outset.
“I have seen the likes of Srikanth and Sai Praneeth train for many years. When they started out at the Gopichand academy, it was evident that they could make it to the top. I was in the top-10 some time back and they would have also taken a lot of inspiration from that. The comparison earlier was always between Saina and Sindhu. They are extraordinary athletes. Now, the men’s game is also up there,” he said.
Talking about his own playing career, the 31-year-old Kashyap hopes that the coming year brings some better results after being plagued by shoulder and knee injuries for the last 18 months.
“I had a knee surgery in 2016. Then in the 2017 PBL final, I dislocated my shoulder. I was sidelined for three months. I’m trying to work my way around these things. Right now, everything is fine. I am just trying to get back to peak fitness. Considering the stage I’m in, I need to work harder now. I will start playing at a good level once again from 2018. I hope everything falls in place,” added Kashyap.
Source : timesofindia