‘Talking about myself was a problem’

Pullela Gopichand plays at the 16th PSCB inter-unit badminton tournament in 1998 with a heavy knee-strapping. He beat Dipankar Bhattacharya in this game

From being nicknamed Mr Casualty to becoming an All England champion, India's chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand has come a long way. The sporting icon would rather have you dwell on his ups than downs in his recently-released autobiography, Shuttler's Flick: Making Every Match Count, co-authored by Priya Kumar (Simon & Schuster). "Talking about myself has always been a problem. I can speak about the future, but dwelling on my playing days and injuries wasn't easy," shares Gopichand, on why he was reluctant to tell his story, adding, "Having Priya around, who is a great listener, made it a lot easier."

Excerpts from the interview:

Who was your favourite Hyderabadi sportsperson considering there are so many from the region?
I think all of them in my time, from cricketers VVS Laxman to Mohammed Azharuddin. I also really appreciate what weightlifter Karnam Malleswari has done. She has been a huge inspiration. Sania [Mirza], too, is phenomenal. I'd say Mukesh Kumar in hockey. Both Sania and Mukesh came out of nowhere. Laxman and Azhar came from very different backgrounds to become great stars for India.

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam hands Gopichand the Padma Shri Award in New Delhi, 2005

You won the All England title on the same day that Harbhajan Singh became the India's first hat-trick man in Test cricket. How do you equate this to India's Red Letter Day in sport?
I have been reminded of that on some occasions. India beat Australia and Laxman scored his famous runs [281] and the Test match turned the tide around for that series win against Australia in Kolkata at the Eden Gardens. I remember one of the headlines that said, ‘Had steak for lunch and Chinese for dinner'. We beat the Australians and we beat the Chinese [Chen Hong] to win the medal. It was a great day for sport in 2001.

From being nicknamed Mr Casualty to becoming an All-England champion, what has been a constant in your life?
The casualty (laughs). I think I have tried everything, and given it all I have. That's how I was when I started playing the sport. I am the same even now and it is something that I am happy about.

Gopichand during the official launch of Badminton Gurukul at MCA, BKC in Mumbai in 2019

When you suffered a serious knee injury in 1994 and were called a ‘langda' while you were recovering, what kept you going?
For me, sport is everything. I wasn't good at any other thing and for me, getting back was super important. Today, we are all knowledgeable in terms of sport. We can Google anything. Thirty years ago, sports science was nascent. People coming out of injuries or orthopaedic or physiotherapy knowledge was less. I loved the sport and I wanted to come back. That's all I cared about. When my doctor said, ‘You will be okay', I trusted him and I didn't look around for other things to do. That belief is what eventually helped.

Tell us something more about coach Hamid Hussein's cassata ice-cream reward for hitting three of the four targets in 20 smashes. As coach, what treat do you offer students?
As we speak, I am going out for lunch with a bunch of athletes who won in Uganda, and I am super excited for them. Dinner would be one. For me, those days with Hussein sir were memorable. We could not afford it [ice-cream]. In the village, ice used to come in two forms, ice gola or popsicles. One was five paise and the other was 20 paise. Coming to town and eating cassata was a big treat. Sir would sign us up for chicken corn soup and cassata. He was warm and affectionate. He truly made me love the sport. That is vital for a coach, especially with young kids.

You have mentioned in the book that your brother was a brilliant student and a player, while you were the one who tail-gated to the passing line. In today's context, is it important to strike a balance between education and sports?
I think each one has some strength or talent. As a teacher and parent, I would want us to find what they are good at rather than deciding what they should be. My brother was a great student, I wasn't. If I was pushed into studies, I wouldn't have been good at it. We need to recognise who is good at what and ensure that we let them pursue what their interest is. It is important we have parents or coaches who train children to be prepared for anything.

You said that coach SM Arif's advice to you was, ‘Defeat should never bother you, the lack of preparation should.' Is that the same advice you give your students?
The only thing which is in our hands is to prepare well. If we have lost, it's not usually because there is no will to win, but it is because you have not prepared enough to win. We have to ensure that the next time we are on court, we are fully prepared. I hated that feeling [of being under-prepared].

The most interesting chapter of the book is the Your Solitude and Your Truth. But would you have liked players like Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu talk about how they felt when they decided to train with a different coach?
I wanted this book to be an inspiration for kids. They have their careers ahead of them and these things don't matter for them. As a coach, it will be very difficult to talk about those issues ever. I can make a statement about Saina or Sindhu, or they can do the same, or any other former players can. But during an active coaching career, I do not wish to talk about those private conversations.