New Delhi: He considers his game to be at par with India number one Parupalli Kashyap but rising shuttler RMV Gurusaidutt says he needs to gain more strength to emulate his compatriot`s international feats and achieve a targetted top-20 ranking by July this year.
The World number 38 defeated top seed and good friend Sai Praneeth 21-19, 21-14 in a 55-minute summit clash to clinch the Vankina Anjani Devi Memorial All India Senior Ranking Tournament in Hyderabad on Sunday.
"I have always played close matches with Kashyap and also beat him. He is doing so well and his reaching top 10 is a great motivation for us. I too want to get into the top 20 by July and Kashyap is an inspiration," Gurusaidutt said.
"Currently, the top 40 players have almost the same game if you remove a couple of names such as Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan. But I know I have to gain more strength to beat them. With around 50 per cent more strength, I can be more consistent," he added.
Olympic quarter-finalist and Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Kashyap is currently ranked ninth in the world.
Ecstatic after winning the All India Senior Ranking, Guru now wants to do well in two of the three tournaments he will be playing.
"It was a good win. I will be playing All England and either German Open or Swiss Open next, depending on what (national coach P Gopichand) Gopi sir decides. In the last few events, I had some good results and I want to do well in the next two events now," Gurusaidutt said.
"I need to work on my strength. I have a good game. I can play defensive and also finish off the rallies but I have to gain in strength to be consistent. With more training, I should be there in a year`s time," said the 2008 BWF World Junior Championships.
The 22-year-old had a promising start to his career as while a national junior champion, Guru won the 2008 Dutch Junior International in Haarlem. He went on to win the singles title at the Commonwealth Youth Games and Bahrain International Challenge in 2008.
He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Denmark Super Series. At the 2010 India Open, Guru created an upset in the quarterfinal by defeating former All England Champion, Muhammad Hafiz Hashim.
In the same year, Guru represented India at the South Asian Games and not only won the silver medal in the singles event but also the gold medal in the team category.
However, consistency has been an issue with the young shuttler and Guru said it is frustrating but he knows he needs to be patient and focussed to achieve his dream.
"I reached the semifinals of Macau Open and then went on to win the Tata open in Mumbai. I played well in the Syed Modi, reaching the quarterfinals. But it`s frustrating to lose after a good victory.
"I know I need to stay focussed everyday. The training is helping me and in a year`s time, I hope to gain more strength to be consistent," he added.
PTI
First Published: Monday, January 28, 2013, 14:30