Elated with his ward Ayush Shetty becoming the first Indian men’s singles player after Dinesh Khanna (1965) to reach the final of the continental showpiece, former India chief coach Vimal Kumar said a collaborative coaching approach has aided the youngster’s rise.
“At the academy, he works under Sagar Chopra, our head coach. What we have done is we have also taken Irwansyah’s [Adi Pratama] help. He has also been helping him in the last two weeks. I think that combination is really working well for Ayush,” he said.
“This is something every coach must realise and understand. I don’t want any coach to think that they can handle a player from cradle to grave. That’s not the right way of thinking.
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“So, in the academy, we are trying these things out. I think Ayush is an example. He’s showing the right improvement in that aspect. I would give a lot of credit to both these coaches, Sagar and Irwansyah for Ayush’s success. But again it is just a start. I feel he has a long way to go.”
Asked if Ayush currently has the best attack, Vimal said: “I would say Lin Chun-Li has the best attack but Ayush also has an equally better attack. Because he is also like Viktor Axelsen.
“When I sent him a couple of years back to Dubai to practise, Viktor messaged me saying that he reminds him of his younger days. So Ayush also learned a lot over there in that two weeks.
“Ayush’s attack is something very similar to the attack of Viktor because he is also tall.”
Published on Apr 11, 2026