It’s a ‘welcome break’ for tired Prannoy

Says skipping All England was the right decision.

Ahmedabad Smash Masters player H.S. Prannoy celebrates after defeating Hyderabad Hunters badminton player B Sai Praneeth during the men's singles of Vodafone Premier Badminton League (PBL) in New Delhi on Friday.

For H.S. Prannoy, the COVID-19-enforced break has been a blessing in disguise.

The 27-year-old former World No. 8 Prannoy said he was using the layoff to rest his tired body and rediscover his lost mojo.

“The month-long break is the biggest I have got in my professional career. I have never stayed at home for more than a week in the last seven years and I am enjoying every minute of it. In a way, it is a welcome break and good for me to recharge my batteries and come back refreshed for the new season,” he said.

Prannoy, who skipped the All England Open badminton championship, said it was a right decision in the prevailing circumstances and said he was worried about the slump in his ranking due to the snapping of the international schedule. [The BWF has since freezed the rankings as of March 17].

“The tournament was taking place at a time when the disease was spreading rapidly in England and I thought it was risky,” he said.

Inconsistent

Prannoy, whose form has taken a dip in the last one and a half years (from eight to 28), said he was using the break to reflect on what went wrong with his game. “I must confess that I am not anywhere as consistent now as I was two years ago. A lot of things have contributed to it. I was not happy with the way I was training, as I struggled with the methods of the new coach at the academy. I wasn’t getting any match practice and there wasn’t any time to reflect on my game as I was playing non-stop. Now that I have got a break, I can rework my game.”

Despite the break, Prannoy is following the workout plan prescribed by his trainer at the Gopi Chand Academy. “Every other day, there is a video conference with the trainer and I follow the schedule given to me,” he said.