'Indians don't know how to play mixed doubles'

‘The male Indian partner always ask his female partner to be at the net’

Ace shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa, on Wednesday, said that Indians do not do well in mixed doubles in the international stage as the male partners always want his female team-mate to play in a fixed position.

Ponnappa said she learnt a lot of the tricks of the trade from international doubles stars like Robert Blair and Joachim Fischer Nielsen as they have flexible ideas about the playing position of their female partners.

Blair and Nielsen were Ponnappa's team-mates at Bengaluru Top Guns in the Premier Badminton League earlier this month.

"Indians don't know mixed doubles. They do not understand it. The male Indian partner always ask his female partner to be at the net," she said.

Unlike the Indian mixed doubles' players, Blair and Nielsen were flexible and encouraged her not to remain at the net, Ashwini said.

"I have learnt a lot of mixed doubles trick from Robert and Fischer. Playing alongside them was extremely beneficial and helpful. I was lucky to have them as my Bengaluru Top Guns team-mates," Ponnappa said.

"Fischer and Robert are flexible and they do not have a fixed position for female partner. They ask me to play in positions in anticipation of rivals' game plan," she said.

Asked about her impression on PBL, Ashwini said such leagues help players to better their game as they get match exposure.

Moreover, the league also has given an opportunity to know the training ethics of international players, Ashwini added.