Paris 2024 Olympics | Ashwini Ponappa Hits Back Hard At Prakash Padukone’s Criticism Of Indian Badminton Players

Indian shuttler Ashwini Ponappa has responded in a hard-hitting manner against the criticism by Prakash Padukone of the Indian badminton players. She wrote in her Instagram post that coaches should also be held responsible for the failure and not only the player.

Hyderabad: It seems that Prakash Padukone’s scathing attack on the Indian badminton players has started a new story in the annals of the Indian badminton. After Padukone shared his views on the state of Indian badminton fiercely, Indian shuttler Ashwini Ponappa didn’t mince her words as well saying it’s unfair to ‘push the players under the bus’ on her Instagram story.

Padukone had expressed his disappointment after his 22-year-old ward lost in the bronze medal match against Malaysia's Lee ZIi Jia. Padukone didn’t hold back and went all guns blazing while speaking on the poor performance of the Indian shuttlers in the Paris Games. He stated that the players should step up and take responsibility to win when the government has provided them with good enough assistance.

Ponappa has hit back at the former Indian badminton player saying that the coaches should be equally blamed along with the players for their defeats.

Ashwini Ponappa hit back at Prakash Padukone (Screen Grab From Ashwini Ponappa Instagram handle)

"Disappointing to see this. If a player wins, everyone jumps on the bandwagon to take credit and if they lose it's just the players' fault ?! Why aren't coaches held responsible for lack of preparation and getting the player ready??" Ashwini said in her Instagram post.

"They are the first ones to take credit for wins, why not take responsibility for their players' losses as well?! At the end of the day, winning takes a team effort and losing is also the team's responsibility. We can't suddenly push the player under the bus and blame it all on the player," she added.

Despite seven players representing the country in the sport of badminton, the Indian contingent returned empty-handed from the French capital.