Para-badminton: Bhagat relishes pairing with Kadam

Sukant Kadam and Pramod Bhagat (right) with their gold medal after defeating Korea`s Joo Dongjae and Shink Kyung Kwan in the final of Brazil Para-Badminton International last Monday

The Indian duo of Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam have been on a roll, winning gold in the men's doubles SL3-SL4 category in their last three tournaments. The para-shuttlers emerged victorious in the Brazil Para-Badminton International, Spanish Para-Badminton International and the Thailand Para-Badminton Tournament last year.

Bhagat, 34, wasn't too ecstatic after defeating the Korean pair of Joo Dongjae and Shink Kyung Kwan in Brazil last Monday, but was relieved to become World No. 1 in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings. "I am happy that our new pairing has worked. Just after four or five tournaments, we have become No. 1. The decision to change your partner is a tough one, but when you start getting the results, you feel satisfied. Hopefully, we will do well in the Asian Games and World Championships as well," Bhagat told www.mid-day.com on Sunday.

When asked about his pairing with Kadam, who he has been partnering for the last eight months, he praised his ability to learn quickly. "Sukant [Kadam] is a youngster. He started five to seven years after me. His energy levels are quite high. My pairing with my last partner [Manoj Sarkar] was also good, but we would often lose to Indonesia and China. So, we felt it wasn't working out so well and decided to move on. Despite not having enough experience of playing doubles, Sukant has done really well. He is a quick learner."

The Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist was disappointed to have missed out on a singles gold after going down to compatriot Kumar Nitesh. "You play so many matches, you ought to lose one or two here and there. Sometimes, when you lose to an Indian, the defeat pinches a lot more. It was just not my day. I became the World Champion after defeating him only. He is World No. 3 and has done well recently. I gave him an inch and he made the most of it," Bhagat said.

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Despite winning several medals across the globe, Bhagat was humble enough to admit that he hasn't performed to potential in the last two years. His best is yet to come. "After winning gold at the Paralympics [in Tokyo], my performance has fallen a bit. The player I defeated in the Olympics [Great Britain's Daniel Bethell], I have lost to him continuously. Of course, when you reach the peak, your journey becomes even more difficult from there. But I will work hard to display the same level of intensity in the upcoming Asian Games in China, World Championships in Thailand and the Paris Olympics.

Bhagat explained in great detail how he and his coach Shiba Prasad Das work together to identify his mistakes after an event. "When an athlete is not performing at his best, it is only the coach who understands what is going wrong and what can be done about it. My coach has been with me since the start of my journey. After a match, he and I sit in a room and discuss everything from what went wrong to what can be done to improve. We are always honest with each other," Bhagat added.

Bhagat hopes to improve on his singles' performance in Thailand and Bahrain next month and wants to become World No. 1 in singles as well.