It was a collective effort, says Prannoy

‘It was Gopi sir who saw that we could compete against the world’s best’

“It has been an incredible journey. Never thought this could happen. We were thinking of winning a medal but not definitely gold,” said H.S. Prannoy,  one of the architects of India’s historic triumph in the Thomas Cup in Bangkok.

“It was a collective effort. A result of a decade-long effort of Gopi sir (chief national coach and now BAI vice-president). He changed the badminton scene with all his hard work,” Prannoy told The Hindu.

“It was he (Gopi) who saw that we could compete against the world’s best. The credit also goes to the entire support staff in Hyderabad who have been working tirelessly with all the players at the Gopi Academy,” the World No. 23 said.

“I think one of the secrets of India’s success in the Thomas Cup is that everyone gave more than 100 per cent. Importantly, we wanted to change the perception that we were not a force to reckon with. So, in this context, this epic triumph is for the next generation about what we can do at this level,” the 29-year-old Prannoy said.

“Each match was very crucial. Importantly, every singles player and the doubles combination of Satwik and Chirag rose to the occasion when the team looked up to them,” he said.

“Lakshya was special under pressure, Srikanth came up with one of his best displays consistently throughout the championship,” said Prannoy.

Speaking about his performance which saw him pull off thrilling wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals (despite an injury), Prannoy said he had nothing to prove to anyone.