Hyderabad: Indian badminton star Lakshya Sen has expressed his desire to become Virat Kohli of Indian badminton. The Indian shuttler earned the limelight with his stellar performance in the Paris Olympics becoming the first male shuttler to enter the semis. After carving a fairytale run earlier, his campaign in the competition ended on a disappointing note as he first lost against Viktor Axelsen and also suffered a defeat in the bronze medal match against Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia.
Speaking about his aim, Lakshya remarked that he wants to be the Virat Kohli of Indian badminton.
“Why not I mean, but again he’s done a lot for Indian cricket. Yes I want to be the Virat Kohli of Indian badminton in coming years,” said Sen on the ‘The Ranveer Show’ podcast.
Lakshya Also touched upon his camaraderie with Tokyo and Paris Olympic Gold Medalist Viktor Axelsen.
“He has inspired me a lot, the way he conducts himself on and off the court. I had a two-week training period with him where I got to play with him and practice. Again, this Olympic semi-final match was against him. Yeah, again it has been quite inspiring for me that I played and I know in the match I had him. I had also beaten him in the past. These kinds of things motivate me that yes I’m on the right track but again a lot of work is there,” he added.
The 23-year-old is currently ranked world no. 18 in the men’s singles event. The Indian shuttler is rising through the ranks and he showcased his ability to excel when he won a bronze in the BWF Championships in 2021. He has also won a silver in the All England Open 2024.