'Winning Thomas Cup was like 1983 World Cup' - Sunil Gavaskar reveals his love for badminton [Watch Video]

The Legendary Sunil Gavaskar also said if not cricket, he would have played badminton.

Indian cricketing great Sunil Gavaskar has revealed that if not for cricket, his heart might have belonged to another sport entirely — badminton. Gavaskar, who was the first batter to cross the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket, revealed that “Badminton is my favourite sport.”

As a matter of fact, the 76-year-old co-owns a team in the World Pickleball League named Dilli Dilwale along with his son Rohan Gavaskar.

When asked had he not become a cricket star, he would have chosen badminton, tennis, or another sport. Gavaskar didn’t hesitate. “I would play badminton. That’s my favourite sport,” he said.

Not only that, the legendary Indian batsman went on to admit that, if given the choice between watching a cricket tournament or a badminton match, “I’ll go for badminton any time,” he said with a smile.

Gavaskar couldn’t hide his admiration for India’s rise in badminton over the last few years. Talking about India’s historic 2022 Thomas Cup win, he said it felt just as special as India’s 1983 Cricket World Cup victory — the one that made the whole country fall in love with the game.

“I think India’s doing really well these days,” he said. “Winning the Thomas Cup a couple of years ago was almost like winning the World Cup in ’83. There’s been a lot of progress, and we’ve had some great champions come through.”

Also Read: Looking back at India’s historic Thomas Cup gold medal win

Why Sunil Gavaskar loves badminton?

Because it’s not just about playing, but the thrill of watching badminton that really draws him in. “I love watching the sport,” he said.

In the candid interview that involved former Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara too, Gavaskar was then asked why he doesn’t try paddle tennis, he chuckled, “Pickleball, yes! Paddle off the walls — it’s fun. I’ve even got a little stake in a pickleball team.”

Gavaskar mentioned that his team in the league was doing quite well, though they narrowly missed out on finishing at the top.

That sparked a bit of banter with Pujara, who jumped in and asked, “Can you hire me in one of your teams?”

Gavaskar replied, “Hello, make up your mind! Yesterday you were signed by Manchester United. Now you want to be signed by our team? Okay — we’ll give you a contract.”

The Indian cricket team had recently visited Manchester United’s training facility at Old Trafford ahead of the fourth Test. The players met football stars like Bruno Fernandes and manager Ruben Amorim.

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