Though his focus was on badminton returning without a medal, Prakash Padukone’s candid appraisal of the performance of Indian sportsmen can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Luckily, the intended recipient, the one individual, later declared he was “determined to reflect on what went wrong and where I need to improve.” Even though Lakshya Sen was aware that the bronze was his to take, he was unable to prove it. He is self-aware, therefore it wasn’t very stupid of him to be unaware that it was a terrible chance lost.

Elite shuttlers, both young and elderly, aren’t big fans of drama and public breakdowns, whether it’s when they break up with coaches or when coaches openly confront them after a loss. You won’t receive a “you are still a winner” platitude from Padukone, Vimal Kumar, or Pullela Gopichand because they are too preoccupied with planning, strategizing, and scything over extremely challenging playing fields to devote their time and energy to helping the shuttlers win on a global scale. They don’t sugarcoat or mince words about what has to be done to bounce back from setbacks and get back on the grind. That explains why, since 2011, India has won ten consecutive World Championship medals and three medals from three Olympics.