Gopichand urges appointment of foreign coach

Hyderabad:

Former All-England champion Pullela Gopichand has asked the Badminton Association of India (BAI) to appoint a foreign coach to train the players. a€œI think we definitely need a foreign coach. It is time we looked in that direction. Though our coaches are good, at the top level a few things have to be taken care of and only somebody who has played at that level recently can do that,'' maintained Gopichand. Gopi's lament has been that it is never the same coach who travels either with him or the Indian team on a permanent basis to tournaments abroad. However, national coach for doubles, Leroy D'Sa is dismissive of what a foreign coach can achieve. a€œI do not think it is necessary. I would probably teach the same thing. I would know more about what our Indian players are capable of doing,'' he claimed. a€œWe need to develop a training programme with the juniors to start with. This will ensure that those players can come up to the top level on a regular basis,'' said S M Arif, National Coach, India. Gopi says if the BAI does not respond positively to the players' request, he may approach the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh to hire a foreign coach for the players from the state.