All posts tagged: Vimal

For Isharani Baruah, repeatedly leaving shuttles landing inside baseline, is concerning’ – Coach Vimal Kumar

For Isharani Baruah, repeatedly leaving shuttles landing inside baseline, is concerning’ – Coach Vimal Kumar

Published by Webster

Written by: Express News Service 4 min readApr 28, 2026 04:01 PM IST Had it been a routine pasting at the hands of a former Olympic champion, Isharani Baruah could’ve been dismissed as just another youngster, a work in progress. But it was in the manner of her loss to Chen Yufei, 22-20, 21-13, that has disappointed her coach at Bangalore, Vimal Kumar. Vimal, who made an inspired decision to field the Gopichand-coached teen then, Saina Nehwal in a team event, where she stepped up to deliver a win, reckons it’s these clutch moments that the young brigade need to make the most of. Isharani could not convert her 20-19 advantage in the first set, despite playing well. And there’s very little to salvage from such misses, Vimal said. “Isharani had Chen Yufei on the ropes at the Uber Cup—and let her off. At 20–19, a missed sitter. At this level, that’s the match,” he said. There are specific areas where the pattern of misses has become apparent to him. “The concern is deeper. Repeatedly …

Vimal Kumar on new scoring system

Vimal Kumar on new scoring system

Published by Webster

The Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) decision to replace 3×21 with the new 3×15 points scoring system from January 2027 onwards has stirred a debate among the badminton fraternity. Former India coach and Dronacharya Awardee Vimal Kumar is at the forefront of calling the move ‘disappointing’. Taking to his social media, Kumar wrote: “Extremely disappointed with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) decision to alter the scoring system — and even more concerning is the overwhelming support it has received from Council members.” The BWF voted in favour of the new scoring system with an overwhelming 82.16% majority at its Annual General Meeting in Horsens, Denmark. A whopping 198 people voted in favour of moving to the shorter format, while 43 voted against it. “The existing format ensured a true level playing field across playing styles, especially in the premier events—Men’s and Women’s Singles—which have always embodied the very essence of our sport: skill, resilience, fitness, and mental strength,” he wrote. While the BWF argues the shorter format will improve scheduling, create more high-pressure moments, and help …

Vimal Kumar urges Ayush Shetty to build rallies after tame loss to Shi Yuqi: ‘At this level, attack needs to be constructed, not forced’ | Badminton News

Vimal Kumar urges Ayush Shetty to build rallies after tame loss to Shi Yuqi: ‘At this level, attack needs to be constructed, not forced’ | Badminton News

Published by Webster

Tactical discipline was one of the major things missing as Ayush Shetty went down 21-8, 21-10 to Shi Yuqi, according to the Indian’s coach at Bangalore’s Centre of Excellence, Vimal Kumar. While Shi Yuqi ended up being a formidable opponent and was always expected to be so, Ayush had much to learn on cutting down on errors in big ticket finals, the coach added. “Ayush came up against a top-quality opponent today in Shi Yuqi, and the match clearly showed the difference that experience, control, and tactical discipline can make at the highest level,” Vimal stated. The Chinese plan had always been to starve Ayush of the opportunity to unleash his smashes – cut the power source, so to say. “Shi looked extremely well-prepared from the outset. He controlled the tempo brilliantly, denying Ayush the rhythm he usually thrives on. By keeping the shuttle slightly off the ideal hitting zone, he prevented Ayush from unleashing his steep attacking smashes and sharp net tumbles,” Vimal added. “That was a key tactical ploy, executed with great precision.” …

What stands out most is Ayush Shetty’s composure… He is handling pressure situations well: Coach Vimal Kumar | Badminton News

What stands out most is Ayush Shetty’s composure… He is handling pressure situations well: Coach Vimal Kumar | Badminton News

Published by Webster

4 min readMumbaiApr 11, 2026 11:37 PM IST India’s Ayush Shetty Saturday stormed into the Badminton Asia Championships final, becoming the only Indian in line to win the men’s singles crown after Dinesh Khanna’s victory in 1965. The 20-year-old, 6-foot-4 World No. 25 from Karnataka’s Karkala village defeated World No.1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand 10-21, 21-19, 21-17, riding on his power smash that comes from almost an 8-foot watchtower-like vantage when he leaps to connect. In the finals Sunday, Ayush will take on World Champion Shi Yuqi from China. “The Asians (championship) is tougher than the World Championships,” Vimal Kumar, coach at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, said about the tournament. Ayush’s semifinal against Vitidsarn was not his first sensational victory in the Championships – earlier this week, he similarly humbled former Asiad champion No.4 Jonatan Christie and the Chinese heir apparent No.7 Li Shifeng, using his smash to stub their defiance. Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty in action during the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China. (PHOTO: Badminton Asia Championships) Having trained with double …

Lakshya Sen’s coach Vimal Kumar says muscle fatigue cost him; asks ward to take inspiration from Ivan Lendl

Lakshya Sen’s coach Vimal Kumar says muscle fatigue cost him; asks ward to take inspiration from Ivan Lendl

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Ahead of his 2024 All England when he was struggling to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Lakshya Sen had insisted on getting himself a 10-year visa for the United Kingdom. Coach Vimal Kumar had jokingly asked how many titles he planned to win playing for a decade, when Sen told him, “I’ll win at least 3-4, and make the finals minimum 8 times.” With two finals under his belt, and a week to remember, Sen wasn’t jesting. “The All England will be his one day,” Vimal insists, even if Sunday ended in a 21-15, 22-20 loss to Lin Chun-Yi of Taiwan. The foot blister was painful, and his movement not the most fluent after Sen had played 91 minutes more than his opponent in 4 tallied matches (316 as compared to 226 minutes of Chun-Yi.) But what deterred his counter-punching, that was a feature of his four previous wins, was muscle fatigue in his shoulder, the coach informs. “The shoulder was gone, there was no punch in his smashes,” he said. AS IT HAPPENED | …

Coach Vimal Kumar on Sen’s 21-19, 21-23, 21-10 win over NG Ka Long Angus

Coach Vimal Kumar on Sen’s 21-19, 21-23, 21-10 win over NG Ka Long Angus

Published by Parlour News

How Lakshya Sen goes from leading 17-11, 19-14 to losing the second set 21-23, is in the realms of speculation or snakes-and-ladder on a badminton court. That’s effectively a net 4-11 points from a very advantageous position straight into the ditch. But like a good doctor would tell you, they can’t keep the rains from raining down, they can only arm you with a sturdy umbrella. So what India’s shuttler-in-need-of-Sherlock and his massively varied coaching team have done is try to respond to these familiar lapses by staying solid in the third. NG Ka Long Angus must’ve expected Sen to crumble after one of his usual blunderings took the All England Round 2 into the decider. Because he had slumped at the Olympics (twice), and myriad other tournaments. But Sen played an absolutely laser-focussed third set, to win 21-19, 21-23, 21-10 and defeat the opponent from Hong Kong, aged 31, ranked 29 to reach quarterfinals. On Friday, he plays Chinese Li Shifeng, his batchmate whom he led 7-4 in head to head before All England …

Coach Vimal Kumar on Sen’s 21-19, 21-23, 21-10 win over NG Ka Long Angus

Coach Vimal Kumar on Sen’s 21-19, 21-23, 21-10 win over NG Ka Long Angus

Published by Webster

How Lakshya Sen goes from leading 17-11, 19-14 to losing the second set 21-23, is in the realms of speculation or snakes-and-ladder on a badminton court. That’s effectively a net 4-11 points from a very advantageous position straight into the ditch. But like a good doctor would tell you, they can’t keep the rains from raining down, they can only arm you with a sturdy umbrella. So what India’s shuttler-in-need-of-Sherlock and his massively varied coaching team have done is try to respond to these familiar lapses by staying solid in the third. NG Ka Long Angus must’ve expected Sen to crumble after one of his usual blunderings took the All England Round 2 into the decider. Because he had slumped at the Olympics (twice), and myriad other tournaments. But Sen played an absolutely laser-focussed third set, to win 21-19, 21-23, 21-10 and defeat the opponent from Hong Kong, aged 31, ranked 29 to reach quarterfinals. On Friday, he plays Chinese Li Shifeng, his batchmate whom he led 7-4 in head to head before All England …

PV Sindhu could miss All England Open, remains stuck in Dubai; Unnati Hooda reschedules flight, Vimal Kumar cancels travel | Badminton News

PV Sindhu could miss All England Open, remains stuck in Dubai; Unnati Hooda reschedules flight, Vimal Kumar cancels travel | Badminton News

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Stranded at a hotel in Dubai in a nightmare transit on her way to Birmingham, it is “extremely unlikely” that PV Sindhu will make it in time for the All England Open, which is scheduled to start on Tuesday. Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary Sanjay Mishra said they were in constant touch with India’s top shuttler, but chances of her being able to travel onwards look very dim. “We are constantly in touch with her. But right now, things are not in our control, and unfortunately it looks like she might miss the All England. The Badminton World Federation have been very sympathetic, and have assured that they will reschedule any games for players stuck in travel. But as of now, our options are next to nothing,” Mishra said. The Emirates, that Sindhu was to take to fly to Birmingham, is amongst several airlines that have lodged those stranded, a number close to 20,000, in hotels across Dubai. Several international airlines had announced cancellations for the next few days, with Dutch KLM until Thursday, …

Pennu Case movie review: Nikhila Vimal film makes for a passive watch | Movie-review News

Pennu Case movie review: Nikhila Vimal film makes for a passive watch | Movie-review News

Published by Parlour News

Pennu Case movie review and rating: What’s the biggest draw of Febin Sidharth’s directorial debut Pennu Case? It isn’t fundamentally misogynistic. That’s the bare minimum, of course. But while Malayalam cinema, even if at times, comes up with abominations like Aabhyanthara Kuttavaali that outrightly and proudly loathe women, Pennu Case proves that it is possible to create a movie revolving around a morally ambiguous female character without spewing hate towards women in general. This isn’t to bluntly say that Febin’s film is devoid of problematic depictions, but to assert that movies like Aabhyanthara Kuttavaali aren’t innocent. Subash (Aju Varghese) is excited beyond measure as his wedding day has finally arrived, a day most had predicted would never come. While preparations are in full swing, a group of men barges into the venue in Kannur district, leading to an altercation that disrupts the ceremony. The Kudiyanmala police immediately swing into action and, upon inquiry, learn that the men were there for the bride, Bindu (Nikhila Vimal), whom they claim duped all of them one by one through …

Lakshya Sen’s work ethic not a problem; he needs to be ready for early, tough matches against unknown players: Coach Vimal Kumar | Badminton News

Lakshya Sen’s work ethic not a problem; he needs to be ready for early, tough matches against unknown players: Coach Vimal Kumar | Badminton News

Published by Webster

Going out in the first round, at four out of six recent tournaments despite being one of the best players to have ever come out of the country, raises eyebrows – something that Lakshya Sen is having to deal with for now. However, ignoring those eyebrows, and all other noise that comes with being someone of his stature, might just be what Lakshya needs to do to turn it around as he prepares to face Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei in the first round of Singapore Open which starts on Tuesday. At least that is what coach U Vimal Kumar feels is key for Lakshya to get back to the level he showed during his historic run at the Paris Olympics. Lakshya performed better than any Indian male badminton player before him but the fact remains that he joined the pantheon of unlucky sportspersons from the country who finished fourth in their respective Olympic disciplines. “Missing a medal does hurt you for a long time but you have to find ways,” Vimal tells the Indian …