Indonesian great upset at treatment meted out to him
Former World No 1 Taufik Hidayat is unhappy with the way the organisers of the Indian Badminton League (IBL) have treated foreign players so far.
Taufik Hidayat. Pic/AFP
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“I felt bad when Indian television channels ran how much price a player was bought for. The IBL didn’t treat the foreign players in the right manner as most of them were bought for their base price while the Indian players were bought for much higher prices.
“I feel the rankings were never taken into consideration. This is the first and last IBL for me,” he said on the sidelines of a practice session of Hyderabad Hotshots at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Stadium yesterday.
Hidayat has been seen playing the coach’s role for his team in a few games so far. Talking about the experience he said, “I have never been a coach before so it’s a new experience for me. Before every match I am nervous about my team. But I wouldn’t want to be the national coach for Indonesia.”
The 32-year-old veteran believes none of the teams in the IBL can be termed as dominant. “Not a single team in IBL has got all the five combinations right. So there is no best team for me. Each team has its own strengths and weaknesses.”
The Indonesian though was impressed with some local talent. “There are so many young Indian shuttlers who have a bright future. In the men’s singles, it is P Kashyap, Ajay Jayaram and RMV Guru Sai Dutt. In women’s, apart from Saina Nehwal, I am impressed with rising shuttler P V Sindhu,” he said.u00a0
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