Paris Olympics | Ponappa hits back at Padukone for slamming Lakshya Sen

Sharply reacting to former All England champion Prakash Padukone’s comments after India’s Lakshya Sen succumbed to pressure in his bronze medal match in the Paris Olympic Games, Indian shuttler Ashwini Ponappa, a part of India's badminton contingent in the Paris Olympics, has hit out against him on Tuesday.

“Disappointing to see this. If a player wins, everyone jumps on the bandwagon to take credit, and if they lose, it’s just the player’s fault?!” Ponnappa wrote in an Instagram story.

“Why aren't coaches held responsible for lack of preparation and getting the player ready? 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 team effort and losing is also the team's responsibility. You can't suddenly push the player under the bus and blame it all on the player,” she added.

Earlier, Padukone on Monday said it’s high time that players learn to withstand pressure, become accountable and start delivering results after receiving support.

He said India must focus on giving mind training to its athletes, so that they can learn to counter pressure situations. He also suggested that there must be a system in place, like it is in China, where they do not depend on one player and succeed in churning out players.

“We cannot remain satisfied just having one player. We need to focus on the next line, maybe even the third line. Like they do in cricket. You have the main team, then the 'A' team, then the under-19 team, under-17 team. So we need to focus. There is a lot of talent, there is absolutely no doubt but a combined effort is required,” he told reporters.