The Sen brothers are on a mission!
Well, two of the best young talent in Indian badminton — Lakshya Sen (16) and Chirag Sen (19) – are determined to improve in every aspect of their game to inch closer to the dream of making it big in the 2020 Olympics. The two are trained by the legendary Prakash Padukone in Bengaluru.
Lakshya, who finished runner-up in last year’s Senior Nationals , lost to K. Srikanth in the Nagpur Nationals in the semifinal. He feels that he needs to improve his fitness and hit more accurate strokes and half-smashes to be a much better player.
“Yes, there is a conscious effort to achieve this objective and we are fortunate to be guided by someone like Prakash sir who makes it a point to be there at our daily sessions,” the Sen brothers said. “We are aware of the importance of finishing off the rallies with the desired deception in strokes.”
Read: I just love badminton, says Lakshya
Thanks to Vimal Kumar’s initiative to bring them to Bengaluru after watching them in a national event six years ago, they are now rated to be potential champions.
Inspired by their grandfather C.L. Sen back home in Uttarakhand, this Sen duo took up badminton and are determined to script some big success stories.
“There is no pressure on us. We just go out and enjoy every outing by giving off our best. Yes, there is always a constant critical review of our performances and we try to keep improving,” mentions Chirag.
Lakshya, who is the youngest to be picked for the Olympic Gold Quest, and Chirag (on a sponsorship with the Airports Authority of India), feel that it is the best phase of Indian badminton with so many players in the top 50.
“Yes, playing against Srikanth bhai was in itself a huge, learning experience. No, we don’t really have the chance to discuss about the game,” says Lakshya.
Interestingly, the brothers share a few thoughts only before a big match and rarely engage themselves on the sport. Reason? “Let our performances speak,” signs off a smiling Chirag even as a shy Lakshya nods in approval.
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