13 December,2011 08:35 AM IST | | Sundari Iyer
Rituparna Das' (15) laziness while training earns her a lot of flak from coach Pullela Gopichand. But she's thankful to him for his strict ways nevertheless as it has helped her reach not just one but two finalsu00a0-- girls U-17 and U-19u00a0-- at the Gautam Thakkar Memorial All-India Junior Masters Badminton Tournament at Bombay Gymkhana yesterday.
Rituparna Das during the Gautam Thakkar Memorial event at Bombay
Gym yesterday. Pic/Shadab Khan
"It feels nice to make two finals. But all this wouldn't have been possible without Gopi sir's guidance. I'm quite laidback and he shouts at me often. He even calls me an idiot whenever I goof-up at the academy. But I hope to live up to his expectations by winning here," said Rituparna who hails from Haldia in West Bengal.
In the U-19 category, sixth seed Rituparna will face No 3 Tanvi Lad of Air India, while in the U-17 segment she will take on second seed Ruthvika Shivani of Andhra Pradesh in the summit clash.
