"Garden mein ghoomne wala" - Sunil Gavaskar's blunt take on Lakshya Sen's exit from Paris Olympics 2024
Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar recently commented on Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen's heartbreaking loss in the semifinal of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 22-year-old singles player grabbed eyeballs by qualifying into the semifinal on the back of some impressive performances.
However, he failed to make it to the final, losing to Viktor Axelsen 20-22, 14-21. He then lost 21-13, 16-21, 11-21 to Malasiya's Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal match.
Reacting to Sen's performances, Gavaskar pointed out how the shuttler had concentration lapses at crunch moments during his two losses. He also used Rohit Sharma's 'Garden mein ghoomne wala' remark to describe the youngster's performances.
Commenting on Sen returning without a medal from the Paris Olympics 2024, Gavaskar wrote in his column for the Sportstar:
"As far back as 2017/18, Prakash (Padukone), 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."
"To then see a 20-17 and 7-0 lead being squandered off in the semifinal and then lose the bronze medal match 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," Gavaskar added.
It is worth mentioning that for the first time since 2008, India's badminton contingent failed to win a single medal at the Olympics.
"Making excuses is where our country will win gold medals every single time" - Sunil Gavaskar supports Prakash Padukone's comments after Paris Olympics 2024
Prakash Padukone, the coach and mentor of India's badminton team at the Paris Olympics, was miffed with the contingent's underwhelming performances at the event.
Speaking to the reporters after Lakshay Sen's defeat in the bronze medal match, Padukone spoke about how it wouldn't be fair to blame the government and federations for the lack of medals in the last two Olympics. He reckoned it was the players' responsibility to deliver on the big stage.
Backing Padukone's comments, Sunil Gavaskar remarked that in India, making excuses for failures has become quite common. The cricketer-turned-commentator wrote (via Sportstar):
"He (Padukon) has always been reticent and publicity-shy, and he goes about his life with as much quiet as his famous dribble at the net. Therefore, his frank comments after the badminton disappointment came as a surprise to so many who have known him over the years to keep his counsel and not say much, Making excuses is where our country will win gold medals every single time, so the debate around his assessment was more about that than looking without tinted glasses at what he said."
Padukone's comments drew mixed reactions. Indian badminton player Ashwini Ponnappa, in an Instagram story, took an indirect dig at Padukone by suggesting that the coaches should take responsibility for losses as they are the first ones to claim credit for victories.