Indian Shuttler Parupalli Kashyap To Retire, Focus On Coaching Kidambi Srikanth

Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashyap confirmed his intention to retire from the sport in the near future, with only an official confirmation missing from his statement. Kashyap, 37, had had injuries catch up to him, forcing him to spend prolonged spells on the sidelines, racing to be fit for the major events. The Commonwealth Games gold medallist, however, has immediate plans to enter into coaching and was even seen guiding Kidambi Srikanth from the sidelines at the Malaysia Open 2024. (More Badminton News)

“The injuries are forcing me to quit though I haven’t officially announced retirement. Meantime, I wanted to start working with Gopi sir because it would be foolish not to learn from his experience. I started with a batch of u17 and u19s for a month, and he gave me freedom to coach whoever I wanted to. Then Srikanth approached me to help him, and I’m thankful to Gopi Sir for giving me the opportunity to work with Srikanth,” he told Indian Express. 

ALSO READ: Prannoy, Sen Get Tough Draws In India Open

An Arjuna Awardee, Kashyap was among the first to enrol into Pullela Gopichand's academy alongside his now wife Saina Nehwal and friend Guru Saidutt. Scaling through the Badminton World Federation ranks over the years, his finest moment came in 2014 when he beat Indonesia's Dan Wong to win the Commonwealth gold in Men's Singles, four years after he had taken bronze in the same event in New Delhi. 

Similarly, Kashyap also enjoyed success in BWF events, finishing runners-up in the 2019 Canadian Open as part of the BWF World Tour. He had previously won BWF Grand Prix events at home and would later add a BWF International Challenge/Series gold to his tally.