: Sameer Verma is all excited at the prospects of sharing a few thoughts with someone like Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin when he teams up with her for Hyderabad Hunters in the high-profile Badminton Premier League starting on January 1.
Back at the Gopi Chand Academy and training rigorously to take his game to next level, the 22-year-old Sameer says these are the kind of experiences which any player would love to feel especially when dreaming big in the circuit.
“I am grateful to Hunters (owned by Agile Security Force Ltd) for picking me in their squad in the first instance. Since, I am targeting to break into the top 10 at the earliest and make an impact in the next year’s World championship, I would love to share a few thoughts on the game with Marin and find a way to what it makes to be a better player under pressure,” Sameer explained in an exclusive chat with The Hindu .
Huge platform
Sameer believes that unlike the major international events where the meetings are confined to mere exchange of pleasantries, the PBL provides a huge platform not to just talk about the game but also know a few things about the training methods of some of the big names. “Yes, if you watch a player of the calibre of Marin, you tend to pick a few new things. And, there is Wee Kiong Tan, the Rio Olympics men’s doubles silver medallist,” he insisted.
It may be mentioned here that Marin is the most expensive player in the PBL auction going for Rs. 61.5 lakhs.
“Definitely, it all depends on what kind of opportunities I get in the PBL. But for sure, when presented with them, I am determined to prove a point or two,” says the reigning national champion.
“It has been a different kind of feeling after the Hong Kong Open final though it was a disappointing outing in the next Macau Open. But, the confidence of beating World No. 3 Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark is something which is bound to help me a long way in the days ahead,” he reiterated.
Questioned whether he has been watching any videos of his game for a critical introspection of his game on his return from the Asian circuit, Sameer says the effort is always there to keep improving.
“I am fortunate to have someone like Gopi Sir as my coach and the wonderful training system in place at the Academy,” he says about the centre which he joined six years ago. “I am sure experience teaches a lot to anyone in any field. And, I am no different,” he added.
Sameer Verma, who along with England’s Rajiv Ouseph and B. Sai Praneeth, is tipped to be the key players in Hunters campaign in the next edition of PBL, says the team has very good chances of making it to the knock-out phase and the first target to get as many trump match points as possible for everyone saw in the last edition how important they could be in the final stages.
“Hunters is not all about only big guns as it also has some very promising talent Krishna Priya, J. Meghana and Satwik Swaraj who should be equally excited about the League. Let us hope for the best but we promise our fans that we will not found be wanting in terms of commitment and hard work”.
