Lakshya Sen created history for India in the recently concluded Paris Olympics 2024. The 23-year-old from Almora became the first Indian shuttler to qualify for the semi-finals at the men’s singles event but was unlucky to miss out on a podium. He suffered a defeat in straight sets against Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the semi-final match and then lost his bronze medal playoff match against Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia.
Sen had won the first set in the bronze medal match played at La Chapelle Arena against the world No. 7 player but failed to maintain the performance and suffered a 13-21, 21-16, 21-11 defeat in 71 minutes.
The loss in the medal match was a bitter pill to swallow for Sen, who first made headlines in 2021 when he won a bronze medal at World Championships.
After a heartbreak in Paris, Sen has returned to India and has now set his sights to do well in the upcoming competitions.
During a recent interview with Ranveer Allahbadia on his YouTube channel, Sen was told that his look shot in one of the matches at the Paris Olympics 2024 had drawn comparisons with Virat Kohli’s iconic two sixes off Haris Rauf’s bowling during the 2022 T20 World Cup match, and reacting to it, the youngster said he doesn’t mind being compared to the batting superstar and said he wants to emulate him and become Virat Kohli of Indian badminton.
“Why not!" said Lakshya when he was asked if he would accept the comparison with Kohli. “I mean, at the same time, he (Kohli) has done a lot for Indian cricket, and yes, I want to be the Virat Kohli of Indian badminton in the coming years," he said.
Speaking about ‘that shot’ during the group stage match against Jonatan Christie of Indonesia, Lakshya said, “I was just looking to retrieve, thinking I will play an attacking shot when I get a chance. I played that shot with the same mindset. Because at 19-18, I didn’t want to let the shuttle go. I saw the shuttle going behind my head, so the only way I could reach it was like that," he added.
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