Hyderabad: For Hyderabad shuttler Parupalli Kashyap, the difference between a good year and his best year yet was just one point. In the quarterfinals of the World Championships in China, the 27-year-old was on match point against Du Pengyu. Had Kashyap won that point, he would have claimed a bronze medal. But he lost the point, the game and eventually, the match.
“To put the year in perspective,” Kashyap said, “If I had scored that one point, this would have been my best year yet. Because of that one point, I lost out on a bronze medal.”
Losing out on the medal by a hair’s breadth was a crushing blow, but the fighter that he is, Kashyap took it in his stride. “I won’t let that one point decide if it’s a bad year or a good year. I would still say this has been a good year for me.
“I’m not dejected. There is no time to feel sorry for myself or sulk. Yes, not winning that one point really upset me. It took me time to get over it, but thankfully, I had to play at the IBL immediately after, and that helped me get over the disappointment. Also, I believe if you remain negative, then you won’t get your due, even if it’s your time,” he philisophised.
A series of freak injuries meant Kashyap couldn’t fully play to his potential. But he now knows what he must do to have a better 2014. “I have to plan my schedule better, and to concentrate more on my diet. If I plan my schedule right, I would able to train better. It all fell into place towards the end of 2013, but I have to ensure I continue doing this in the new year.”
Kashyap said 2013 was better than 2012 — his breakthrough year. “My performance at the Olympics notwithstanding, I would have paled in comparison to the top players in the world. In 2013, however, I was in excellent form. I was as good as the best of them, if not better.”
But his form was negated by a string of bad luck. An inadvertent blow to the eye threw a spanner in the works ahead of the Denmark Open. Most players would have pulled out. But not Kashyap. He went down fighting in the quarterfinals.
Just before he was to defend his title at the National Championships this year, Kashyap partially dislocated his shoulder. Refusing to give up, he gave it his best. Dispatching one opponent after the other, Kashyap, playing at 50 per cent of his ability by his own admission, made it as far as the semifinals where he lost to eventual champion, K. Srikanth.
“I couldn’t play the smash because of the injury, and in my style of play, without the smash, it becomes very tough for me to win against good players. If I had been able to smash, the whole scenario would have been different. It was an important title for me and I was disappointed I couldn’t defend it.”
For now, Kashyap is waiting for his shoulder to fully heal before diving head first into a gruelling training schedule. He will taste his first action of 2014 at the Malaysia Open Superseries (January 15 to 20) after which, he will defend his title at the Syed Modi Grand Prix at Lucknow (January 21 to 26).
