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Stickler for discipline

P. Gopi Chand, India's new coach, on the challenges ahead

Photo: R. Ragu

BUILDING A STRONG TEAM P. Gopi Chand

In the midst of the Krishna Khaitan Memorial all-India junior ranking badminton tournament at the Nehru Indoor Stadium, P. Gopi Chand, former All-England champion, is engaged in a close conversation with Sanjeev Sachdeva, India's junior coach and T.P.S. Puri, former India coach. They chat for over two hours to ensure that "we don't miss out any player."

Tapping talent

The earnestness and discipline that helped him win the coveted tournament in 2001 are evident in Gopi's new role as the chief coach of the Indian badminton team. Given a brief by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) to produce champion players by the time India hosts the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, Gopi is already into the job; the results are beginning to show. The former All-England champion is aware of the expectations that his appointment has given rise to. He says: "I can enhance their game to a certain extent. But the work will still have to be done by them. Coaching is definitely important, but equally important are the dedication and discipline on the part of the players, the amount of time spent and the facilities provided."

His first assignment was the all-India junior ranking tournament in Kochi earlier this month. Gopi is a stickler for punctuality and will expect the same from the players. A disciplinarian by nature, Gopi is making efforts to bring all these qualities to his new profile. "I was in Kochi, right from the qualifying stage taking a look at all the players. That was a good experience. We are basically planning to have two good squads — one for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the other for the 2012 Olympic Games with 32 in each squad," he says.

While the Commonwealth Games and the London Olympic Games are a long way off, does Gopi have any short-term goals? He replies in the affirmative. "We have picked players from Kochi, Chennai and a few tournaments. We won't finalise the teams so soon. We might choose a 15-year-old and expect him to perform in two years' time whereas a player aged 26 will have to perform this very year. So, that's the basic standard we have set."

As far as local talent goes, Gopi says he found Tamil Nadu's Aditya Elango and the doubles combination of V. N. Satyanarayana Rao and Manikandan promising. However, he doesn't guarantee anything. "I am not saying I am choosing them. But they look talented."

Not an easy task

Working with BAI is not going to be easy. There will be teething troubles. The system might throw a spanner in the works. The 32-year-old is aware of the challenges.

"Yes, I think there will be a lot of challenges in the sense that the facilities are not always available. So you will have to pave your own path, find your own answers to a lot of questions. It's not that we have a permanent system and everything is set, and we sort of take over. We are working with a few people, have a lot of players, and are hopeful of producing results."

In fact, Gopi has been coaching for the last two years. Saina Nehwal and P. Kashyap are his products. "Since I was not playing that much, I thought that kids can benefit from my being in Hyderabad. Last year, I began to coach regularly as the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh has extended support till my Academy gets ready in Gachibowli."

Suffering from recurrent knee injuries during his playing days, Gopi admits he got them because he pushed himself hard during training sessions. His mantra now is: the "right number of tournaments, and the right number of days for training".

Can Gopi, who took over from Vimal Kumar, transform the face of Indian badminton?

K. KEERTHIVASAN

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