09 October,2026 09:07 AM IST | Mumbai | G Krishnan
Prakash Padukone at an event in Andheri on Thursday. Pic/Satej Shinde
Badminton legend Prakash Padukone on Thursday expressed disappointment at the Indian badminton team's performance at the recent Asian Games in Japan. India won only the men's team bronze after losing their semi-final to China.
"Considering the kind of talent we have, we should have done much better in the Asian Games. We had done much better the last time [men's doubles gold, men's team silver and men's singles bronze]. I was expecting at least the same medal count as last time, if not better," Padukone, 71, India's first All England champion, said after signing a MoU between his Padukone School of Badminton and the International Institute of Sports Management (IISM) in the city.
"They play throughout the year, so it's extremely difficult to be on top all the time. But I'd like the players to be more consistent. They have a lot of support. They need to put in a little more effort. You pick four or five important tournaments in the whole year and try to reach your peak in those tournaments," he added.
The badminton great was pleased with the emergence of singles players though. "We have some good players. Aayush Shetty is there in men's singles. In women's singles, we have players like Unnati Hooda, Tanvi Sharma. You don't see so much talent in doubles. But singles has always been our strength and will continue to be," he said.
