K. Srikanth, a former World No. 1 star shuttler, feels that training sessions may not be the same for the first few months once they resume, given the COVID-19 safety guidelines.

The 27-year-old Srikanth, stuck in his hometown Guntur for the last two months, believes that training should start from June 1 with some restrictions in place and it will be a different kind of challenge for players and coaches.

“Normally if two of us are training, we will be assisted by four to five players plus the coach. I wonder if that will be possible now,” said Srikanth in a chat with The Hindu.

“Each training session, under normal circumstances, will feature about 30 players and coaches.

“It will be interesting to see how the changed scenario is when we start training,” he said. “If social distancing and other safety measures are followed, we might not reach the desired intensity level that quickly,” said Srikanth, who happens to be the only Indian men’s shuttler to win four Super Series (2017).

“In other SAI centres at Bengaluru and Patiala, athletes stay in the centres. In Hyderabad, many of us travel to the SAI-Gopi Chand Academy. This means there is a lot of risk involved and merits extra precautions,” he said.

“I strongly feel there is no need to rush things since the BWF calendar is not going to start for at least three months from now.

“We can afford to start the training sessions slowly, and peak as and when the BWF calendar is finalised,” said Srikanth.

“Personally, I am happy with my fitness level and there are no injury scares. Obviously, I am more than keen to regain the kind of form that made me the No. 1 player in the world.

“Ideally, I would love to have five to six weeks of full-fledged training before a major tournament. Now this three-month break in BWF calendar should help me a lot,” he added.