New Delhi, June 19 -- HS Prannoy keeps going back to 2023. Coming off a tough couple of years that saw him struggle with post-Covid health complications and a subsequent dip in performance, Prannoy turned things around dramatically that year.

A World Championships bronze en route wins over then world No.1 Viktor Axelsen and former world champion Loh Kean Yew, an Asian Games singles bronze and a team silver, and a career-best rank of world No.6 all arrived in a space of months, a culmination of backroom grind that had been on for "at least a couple of years".

Two quiet years on, Prannoy is hoping for a similar turnaround. "The game is definitely there. I have the confidence to go deep in competitions" he told HT on Friday.

The recent re...