“Winning the Thomas Cup equivalent to India’s World cup in ’83” – said this Badminton Ace!
Sports in our country is growing more and more each year and one of the best things to see is the unity among the sporting fraternity. Providing support and backing is the only way to go forward and in some years, India will definitely become a major player in all type of sports.
One such union came into the fore as a Cricket legend and a Badminton prodigy came together and gave internet a great topic to fuss about. It was the 1983 ICC Cricket World cup winner with India, the Little master – Sunil Gavaskar and Thomas Cup Gold medalist Lakshya Sen.
https://youtu.be/VLxI3W7z97A
Gavaskar paid a visit to the Padukone Badminton academy in Bengaluru and that is where he found the young Lakshya Sen and showered heaps of appreciation. Gavaskar also spoke about his friend and former Badminton legend Prakash Padukone and brought some interesting stories in front of us.
“Prakash is the all time numero Uno for me. I will never forget the hammering he gave Han Jian in Pune. When I saw his matches I only saw his feet, how the heel to toe move took place or the toes moving so swiftly to cover the court in just one or half stride. Or to jump high for the killer shot.”
Then he started speaking about Lakshya Sen and the admiration the former cricketer has for the Commonwealth gold medalist. Apparently, it was Prakash Padukone who introduced Gavaskar to Lakshya Sen saying – “I had been wanting to see Lakshya ever since Prakash told me about his precocious talent a few years back. He seemed a bit shy but I think I was more tongue-tied. “
The 21-year-old then spoke about his awe for Gavaskar saying – “In the beginning I was star-struck. But he made us feel comfortable and urged us to keep believing in ourselves. I just stood there, looking and felt very inspired, seeing how humble he is and I was learning about how to conduct myself like him.”
