This India-England rivalry is strongly tilted in favour of Daniel Bethell who is looking to avenge his Paralympic finals loss. But at stake for Indian Pramod Bhagat is his World championship title defense, and a chance to collect a hat-trick of crowns after Stoke Mandeville in 2015 and Basel in 2019.
Englishman Bethell, 28, has turned around a 2-7 head-to-head record from 2017-2021 against India’s Paralympic champion, to now lead 10-8 post his loss in the finals at Tokyo 2020 and starts as favourite at the Thailand mega event on Sunday.
India’s 35-year-old para-hero in the SL3 category over the last 8 losses spanning Spain, Bahrain, Canada and Thailand, has realised just how challenging it is going to get against Bethell who’s thirsting for a Para Games gold medal that Bhagat won.
The rivalry reinvigorated the ambition of the defending champion who keeps reinventing himself.
Knowing that his chest-level smashes and deceptions that blew Bethell away in that Tokyo final have been neutralized by the Englishman hungry for his glory, had led Bhagat to up his own game in the run-up, empty his head of memories of past success and go problem-solving looking for counters to Bethell’s counters.
Other Indian finalists at the World’s includes Manisha Ramadass in SU5, Suhas Yarhuraj in SL4, Chirag Baretha-Raj Kumar in SU5 doubles, Rachana Patel – Nithya Sre Sivan in SH6 women’s doubles, Manasi Joshi – Thulasimathi Murugesan in SL3 – SU 5 and the pugnacious Krishna Nagar against Chinese Lin Naili in SH6.
Federer needed a Nadal. And Lin Dan couldn’t have been such a riveting watch, had it not been for Lee Chong Wei. But SL3’s two heroes set up another title clash, after Bethell beat a fighting Indian Nitesh Kumar, 21-18, 20-22, 21-14. Bhagat, the Odiya legend, meanwhile prevailed 23-21, 20-22, 21-18 in a tense clash against compatriot Manoj Sarkar.
The para World Championships are to be an accurate marker for both Bhagat and Bethell, and the Indian had worked up some frenzy using his losses to get the competitive juices flowing while prepping for the World’s.
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He had admitted he didn’t really go all-out after Tokyo, after having worked relentlessly for the ultimate gold since he started in 2005. He relaxed a bit, took a break from subconscious pressure that he reckons is necessary to push in bigger events. And he suitably and calculatedly built himself an insecure mind space, so he kept chewing on the fact that Bethell had handed him half a dozen finals losses and he needed to buck up.
Bhagat’s polio related disability never came in the way of a blazingly confident and fascinating mind. He was self aware, realised the Team GB rival held an edge over him and that he himself could be lacking in appetite. But he knew having cracked the gold code once, what hard work and determination and upping of skills was needed to win more and more.
Bethell has stopped playing doubles to not be distracted for his charge at MS SL3 gold, after his silver at Tokyo, while Bhagat found himself in 3 semifinals, winning 1. “I really wanted to win gold but all credit to Pramod, he played an amazing game, the variety of his attack was devastating and he kept at it the whole time, he deserved to win,” Bethell had said after Tokyo.
He’s done much to enter the Games leap year by shaving off at his weaknesses. But the upcoming World Championships will determine Bhagat can keep his big occasion temperament intact, going for his third world title. Bhagat did defend his Worlds and Asiad title post Tokyo, but Paris is the real test.
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One of his best traits as he went about stringing together titles was in knowing what worked for him. The constancy to prove he’s the best had seen him capable of overcoming the biggest challenge of a successful athlete – satiated success. He refused to be content.
Bhagat recalled landing at an airport once in 2019 on a day when his Arjuna award was announced. A few days before that, the Odisha State government had honoured him with their own top award. It ought to have been a happy flight. But he worried himself silly over what a contrast it would read on the sports page should he lose early: news about his loss at the World Championships and about being bestowed with Arjuna honours at the same time. The thought came to him at 6-21 down against Bethell again, and it was from there that he carved his comeback to win the 2019 World title. He often works up the appetite for newer goals.
“I come from a small place in India. Jo cheez aasaani se milti hai uski kadr nai rehti. (There’s no value left for things you get easily.) Those honours were wonderful, but would be of no value to me had I lost the next Worlds. But it pushed me to win double gold,” he had recalled. “Players should never get easy access to everything. It kills hunger in sport. Winning is most important,” he said, going against the accepted narrative that money alone brings medals.
He never made excuses about facilities before Tokyo and is glad things changed thereafter, but is determined to not let success stop his growth.
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The southpaw Bethell, a Masters in Law from Bristol, is the man challenging his crown. “It’s good I had to start working hard again because I was losing to Bethell. Without a challenge, life becomes too chill and boring,” he says. He backs himself to deliver the goods when the big occasion turns up.
He’s taken to PUBG these last few years, and says sometimes falls are necessary to rise again. “Bethell is my motivation and I have to bounce back,” he declares, having given himself a suitable rival.
They don’t quite feign great camaraderie but there’s immense respect between Bethell and Bhagat. “There’s no aggression from my end, but yes, the English need to show they have an upper hand in every situation. And they do play with an ego, so there’s a nice edge to our rivalry,” he assures. “I’ve forgotten my past success. This is a new fight,” Bhagat says. Bethell has a point to prove, but the Indian is courting greatness.
