New Delhi: A shoulder injury relapse during February had left Parupalli Kashyap "confused and disturbed" about his future but he played with the partial dislocation to reach the semi-finals of Swiss Open.
The ace Indian shuttler said the performance in Swiss Open gave a boost to his confidence ahead of his tough first round match in the India Open. From the high of being world number six in May, 2013, Kashyap slipped to 24th after a series of injuries derailed his progress.
He first twisted his ankle during the Indian Badminton League, then had a freak eye injury before the Denmark Open in October. He then pulled out of Korea Open after a partial dislocation of shoulder in December, which once again aggravated during the German Open.
"After German Open, I was in doubt about what would happen because after a month of training and rehab, when my shoulder was perfect, I suddenly got injured at the same place again. When an injury happens and then again it happens at the same place, it gets worse. It gave me big doubts about what I would do, how will I qualify for Commonwealth Games and Asian Games," Kashyap said.
"It was really confusing and tough and mentally very disturbing when you come back from an injury, you are fit and then suddenly you get injured again. Both were freak injuries, the shoulder and even getting hit in the eye. Dislocation is something which keeps happening. It gets out of the socket.
"I had to strap my shoulder in All England, I was fine and played a close three game. I again played with strapping in the Swiss Open and reached the semifinals there. It gave me a lot of confidence. Now it is strapped really hard. There is no pain. But I guess I have got used to playing with the strapping and it will be like this for next 4-5 months," he added.
About his expectation from India Open, Kashyap said: "I m just trying to be fresh for the next tournament. You can't really do much about your game in a couple of weeks, you can work on your simple mistakes. The draw is tough in India Open. But I did well in Swiss and even in All England. I am hitting a good form. I have to maintain the good rhythm. In last 4-5 months, I think I am playing best right now.
"I know my opponent. I have to really push myself hard but I think I have got a chance and I can beat him. The form is good and I am confident," said the 27-year-old, who will take on China's Zhengming Wang in his campaign opener in USD 250,000 India Super Series.
It is a hectic year for Indian badminton as many important events are lined up, including Commonwealth Games, World championship and Asian Games. However, Kashyap said he is not thinking much ahead. "Right now, 5-6 Indian players are doing really well, so I decided that until I really qualify for the events, I will not think about the Commonwealth Games and Asian games now. Now it is just the first round which I am thinking about," he said.
Asked what India needs to do to win more titles, Kashyap said: "Just maintain the good work. Sourabh (Verma) has reached the finals. I have been in the top 20 for many years. (PV) Sindhu and Saina (Nehwal) everybody reaching quarters and semis and beating top players. Well, winning tournaments, you can't do really something special all of a sudden. We have not seen such kind of performance in Indian badminton before. I don't think we should expect too much, it will be slow."
