Pullela Gopichand, India's chief badminton coach and a former All England champion, has played a pivotal role in shaping the country's badminton landscape.

In a conversation with ANI, he reflected on his journey from a young aspiring player to a mentor guiding India's top shuttlers.

Gopichand's entry into badminton was purely coincidental. In 1985, as a child growing up in Hyderabad, he was initially drawn to cricket, inspired by India's historic 1983 World Cup triumph. However, a series of broken windowpanes led his mother to explore structured training for him.