Sindhu and Sai: Love-Game and Match Point

PV SINDHU & VENKATA DATTA SAI

- AJAY TOMAR & INDRANEEL DAS

They say marriages are made in heaven. This surely matches one. By the admission of the bride and groom, it did bloom on a flight, mid-air.

When PV Sindhu ended her campaign at the Paris Olympics, it was far from ideal. She lost in the first knockout game of the event. After winning two back-to-back medals at the Olympics (Rio and Tokyo), this came as a big setback. Yet she looked composed meeting the assembled media, answering questions with her hallmark calmness.

There was no inkling of an impending wedding bell. All she wanted was to take a break and then think about the future.

Just like her incredible retrievals from insane angles and corners, no one saw this coming. Like her drop shots, this was deceptive. About four months ago, Sindhu surprised the world when she announced her marriage through a social media post.

The curiosity grew when the name of the fiancé was announced. It was not some celebrity but an IT professional. Venkata Datta Sai is not from sports background either. By his own admission, managing the Delhi Capitals, the IPL team while working with JSW, was the closest he had come to sports.