Tokyo Paralympic star Pramod Bhagat reveals how Sachin Tendulkar impacted his personality

Tokyo Paralympic gold medalist Pramod Bhagat has revealed what he learnt from cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. In an interview with the news agency PTI, Bhagat said Tendulkar taught him how to remain calm under pressure situations. Bhagat said he grew up watching cricket and was always impressed by Tendulkar's calm demeanour on the field, especially in high-pressure circumstances. Bhagat said the way Tendulkar conducted himself on the field had a big influence on his personality. 

"I used to play cricket during childhood. During that time, we used to watch cricket on Doordarshan and I was always fascinated by Sachin Tendulkar's calm demeanour, the way he conducted himself and it had a big influence on me. I started following him. His sportsmanship influenced me a lot. So when I started playing, I followed the same thought process and it helped me to make some memorable comeback in many matches, including World Championships. I have always been inspired by Sachin, right from childhood, so it was a big moment for me when I met him," Bhagat was quoted as saying by PTI. 

'It was dream come true' 

Bhagat won the gold medal at the recently-concluded Tokyo Paralympics after defeating Great Britain's Daniel Bethell. Bhagat beat Bethell 2-0 in the final of the badminton SL3 class event on September 4. Bhagat won two straight games (21-14, 21-17) against Bethell to help India clinch the top spot at the podium. At one point in the second game of the finals, Bhagat was 4-12 down, however, the Indian shuttler stunned everyone as he made an amazing comeback and went on to win the match 2-0. 

After winning gold at the Tokyo Paralympics earlier this month, Bhagat finally got the opportunity to meet with his childhood idol, Sachin Tendulkar. Bhagat met Tendulkar after returning to India and gifted the legendary cricketer the racquet that he used in the final of the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Tendulkar, on the other hand, gave Bhagat a signed t-shirt and his autobiography. Talking about his meeting with Tendulkar, Bhagat said 'It was a dream come true". 

Image: PramodBhagat/Twitter