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The Paris Olympics 2024 have elicited a range of reactions from Indian sports enthusiasts, and now Indian cricket icon Sunil Gavaskar has taken a critical stance on Lakshya Sen’s performance, echoing Rohit Sharma’s distinctive style of critique.
In the wake of a disappointing showing by Indian athletes, especially in badminton, Prakash Padukone’s stern remarks about the Indian contingent have ignited a heated discussion within the sports community.
India’s participation in the Paris Olympics 2024 has been tumultuous. Building on the high of a record-setting seven medals in Tokyo 2020, expectations were set sky-high for this year. However, the country managed to secure only six medals, with the badminton results adding to the overall frustration.
Sunil Gavaskar harshly criticized Lakshya Sen’s underwhelming performance at the Paris Olympics 2024, echoing Rohit Sharma’s words.
Since 2012, Indian badminton players have maintained a remarkable record, consistently securing medals at the Olympics. However, this streak came to an end on August 12 in Paris. After Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were unable to advance to the semifinals in the doubles event, Lakshya Sen achieved a milestone by becoming the first Indian male shuttler to reach an Olympic semi-final.
Despite having an early lead against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, Lakshya succumbed to a tough three-game contest, narrowly missing out on the bronze medal. This result left both coach-mentor Prakash Padukone and cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar visibly frustrated with the young player.
Padukone, renowned for his contributions to Indian badminton, voiced his discontent, criticizing the athletes for not making the most of the extensive support provided by the government and other backers. His remarks have stirred debate, but Gavaskar has offered his backing to Padukone.
Gavaskar pointed out that during the semifinal and bronze medal matches, Lakshya appeared to lose focus and concentration, as evidenced by his vacant expressions while handling his racquet and taking sips of water.
Lakshya was garden mein ghoomne wala ladka in Olympics: Gavaskar
Gavaskar observed that these indicators often suggest a lack of mental focus, a challenge that coaches and trainers struggle to address. He emphasized that concentration and focus are qualities that cannot be directly taught by any coach or trainer. The legendary cricketer referred to Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s famous phrase “Garden Main Ghoomne Vala” to describe Lakshya’s performance at the Olympics.
Sunil Gavaskar wrote in a column for Sportstar: “As far back as 2017/18, Prakash, who I unfortunately meet rarely, had told me about this kid, Lakshya Sen. He had taken him under his wing and was his guide and mentor. He would have watched Lakshya’s progress step by step. As he came to the cusp of an Olympic medal, Prakash was by the courtside along with the hard-working and indefatigable Vimal Kumar to see the fulfillment of not just Lakshya’s dream but also that of the entire community of Indian badminton lovers.”
Gavaskar added, “To then see a 20-17 and 7-0 lead being squandered off in the semifinal (vs Viktor Axelsen) and then lose the bronze medal match (vs Lee Zee Jia) after winning the first game comfortably must have been gut-wrenching indeed. He, Vimal Kumar, the BAI, and the government’s TOPS had done everything possible, but when it came to the crunch, Lakshya was, in the famous words of the Indian cricket team captain (Rohit Sharma), ‘garden mein ghoomne wala.’”
