Ayush has it in him to be a top-10 player: Coach
The Karnataka shuttler, who trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) here, has it in him to break into the world top-10, PPBA head coach Sagar Chopda said.
'Ayush's initial target was to be a top-25 player by the end of the year. With these kind of performances, this is definitely within his reach. In the long term, Ayush is a world top-10 player for sure. He has a very bright future,' Sagar told The Hindu on Monday.
Sagar explained that Ayush's self-belief has built steadily in recent months, after semifinal appearances in the Taipei Open and Orleans Masters.
Ayush's fine net game and fearless approach counts as his strengths, Sagar said. 'He has a good net game and a solid smash. With a good net game, he creates a lot of openings with a good tumble. And post that, his smashes are really, really sound. While a lot of players have to develop this, Ayush always had it in him. And he's not scared to hit. Even if he loses a point, it's okay with him,' Sagar said.
Sagar also said Ayush must continue to work on his defensive game - a key element in combating the world's best.
Born in Karkala, Ayush moved to Bengaluru as a pre-teen to pursue the sport seriously. He initially trained at i-SPORTS, before joining PPBA in 2021. 'A lot of credit goes to (i-SPORTS Founder and Head Coach) Krishna Kumar for shaping Ayush into what he is today,' Sagar said.
The task ahead for Sagar and other coaches is to mould Ayush into a consistent world-beater. 'All of us just have to keep working with him. This win is a good confidence booster for him going forward,' Sagar said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
14 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Davis' sacrifice fly in 8th gives Pirates 1-0 win over Cardinals as winning streak reaches 5 games
Jul 02, 2025 07:22 AM IST PITTSBURGH — Catcher Henry Davis drove in the game's only run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and preserved the lead with a tag at the plate in the ninth, giving Pittsburgh a 1-0 win over St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 on Tuesday night as Pirates ace Paul Skenes' winless streak reached six starts. Davis' sacrifice fly in 8th gives Pirates 1-0 win over Cardinals as winning streak reaches 5 games Pittsburgh's Ke'Bryan Hayes led off the bottom of the eighth with a single off Phil Maton . Pinch-hitter Adam Frazier doubled to right and Hayes scored on Davis' fly ball to center. St. Louis had runners on second and third with one out in the ninth when Victor Scott hit a slow chopper that first baseman Spencer Horwitz fielded and threw to Davis, who tagged Jose Fermin at the plate. Skenes pitched five scoreless innings and allowed five hits and one walk and struck out five while throwing 88 pitches. Skenes, who is 4-7 with a 2.03 ERA, has not won since May 28 at Arizona and is winless in six starts against the Cardinals. The loss spoiled a strong outing by Cardinals starter Andre Pallante, who pitched seven innings of one-hit ball. He struck out three and walked two, and his only hit allowed was a single by Andrew McCutchen in the fourth. Issac Mattson pitched one inning for the win, and David Bednar picked up his 12th save in as many chances this season as Pittsburgh won its fifth straight. Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras sustained a left-hand contusion in the fourth inning on a tag play at home plate and left the game. Third baseman Nolan Arenado missed the game because of a jammed right index finger. Jose Fermin being tagged out at home on Scott's chopper to Horwitz and Bednar striking out Brendan Donovan to end the game. The Pirates had scored 37 runs in their previous four games. Cardinals RHP Sonny Gray faces Mitch Keller on Wednesday as the Pirates go for the series sweep. MLB: /hub/MLB This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
Mint
20 minutes ago
- Mint
Shubman Gill reflects on Leeds loss ahead of Edgbaston Test: ‘My learning was…'
India Test captain Shubman Gill reflected on the loss his side faced against England during the 1st Test match at Leeds despite having five centurion in its ranks. Gill noted that the young side played well in many moments of the match but lamented the dropped catches while also noting the major learnings for him as a captain and a player. Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Edgbaston test match, Gill said, "We played well in many moments of the match, but in the moments that were not that good, we played very badly. When you play against such a team and you have to make sure that you are doing the right thing and your mistakes are not so bad that you get completely out of the game," Shubman Gill said in the pre-match press conference. "And on Day 5, we all knew that it wouldn't be that easy, even though there was 350 score on the board. But there was not that much help in the wicket for the bowlers. We had to put in very consistently tight lines, which I think we did very well in the first session." Gill also stated that the older Duke's ball made run scoring easier and while there was good bowling from his side the lack of wickets made it easier for the home side to score freely on Day 5 of the match. "We saw with Duke's ball, especially on this ground, that as the ball gets older, it becomes easier to make runs, and if you don't take out the wicket, it becomes very difficult to contain the runs. So we did good bowling, we did consistent bowling, but because we couldn't take wickets, we didn't get half chances," he added. Talking about the lost chances by the Indian team in 1st Test, Gill said, "We dropped some catches in the whole period. It's not easy when you are constantly dropping catches, especially when the bowlers are creating chances. But I think overall, we had a lot of positives in the last match as well. I think they didn't lose any wickets in 200 runs," Personally taking responsibility for the loss, Gill noted that he could have developed a partnership with Rishabh Pant in the third innings of the match. As a captain, Gill talked about working on containing runs once the Duke ball gets softer. "I could have had a 50-run worth more partnership out there with Rishabh. That was my learning from when I was batting. And when we were bowling, there were learnings like once the ball gets old and it's getting soft, there isn't much happening. So, how would you contain or how would you control the run flow, especially with the way they bat," Gill noted.
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
F1 box office collection Day 5: Brad Pitt's racing drama gains momentum on Tuesday; set to cross Rs 30 crore mark
Brad Pitt 's high-octane racing film F1 is shifting gears once again. After a strong debut and a brief slowdown, the sports drama picked up pace on its fifth day at the Indian box office, earning an estimated Rs 4.18 crore on Tuesday, according to early estimates by This brings the film's five-day total to approximately Rs 28.93 crore. Directed by Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick), F1 hit Indian theatres with a roaring start, collecting a remarkable Rs 21.4 crore over its opening weekend — a notable feat considering it shared screen space with competing releases like the Hindi horror-thriller Maa and the mythological epic Kannappa from the South. While the film experienced a sharp dip on Monday, earning just Rs 3.35 crore, Tuesday's uptick suggests strong weekday retention and renewed audience interest — likely driven by word-of-mouth and repeat viewership among motorsport enthusiasts. Starring Brad Pitt alongside Damson Idris , Kerry Condon , Javier Bardem , and a cameo appearance by F1 legend Lewis Hamilton (who also serves as co-producer), F1 has been lauded for its realistic portrayal of the racing world, intense track sequences, and sleek production values. With two more days remaining before the film completes its first full week in theatres, F1 is now on track to cross the Rs 30 crore milestone. If it maintains this momentum, it could race toward the coveted Rs 50 crore mark in the weeks to come. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If You Need To Kill Time On Your Computer, This Popular Strategy Game Is A Must Forge Of Empires Undo The film's success in India highlights the growing appetite for high-quality Hollywood content with global appeal, particularly when combined with strong star power, thrilling visuals, and immersive storytelling. All eyes are now on the film's week-one total, as F1 prepares for a strong finish.
