“Pickleball is so fascinating; when I was bored, I took up the paddle and that changed my life…….”
with Neil Thakur DOB: 30th November 1970 State: Maharashtra City: Mumbai Club: Khar Gymkhana Neil Thakur- the name needs no introduction. But still, for the newcomers of the sport, let’s introduce today Dr Neil Thakur, the man who is one of the pillars of Indian Pickleball. The Joint Secretary of AIPA- NGC and the Chairman of Maharashtra State Pickleball Association, Neil Thakur is...
A soldier, a businessman and the Pickleball co-creator- Barney McCallum leaves this world with a rich Pickleball legacy
“We had no purpose; nobody said, lets sit down and make this a game; there was no conversation like that, it was strictly for our own pleasure.” Barney McCallum clearly admitted this in an interview on Pickleball Channel when the channel members spoke to him to celebrate 50 years of Pickleball. Barney was then the only living founder of the...
International Tennis Federation selects Nur-Sultan as venue for India-Pakistan Davis Cup tie
It is final now. India and Pakistan will play the much controversial Davis Cup tie at National Tennis Centre in Nur Sultan, the Kazakhstan capital, on 29th and 30th November, 2019. The Independent Tribunal of the ITF has dismissed Pakistan Tennis Federation’s review appeal and endorsed the decision taken by the Davis Cup Committee on November 4 that the...
“Pickleball has become a habit to me now; I wish to see more women playing the sport…….”
with Krutika Giri DOB: 5th December 1998 State: Madhya Pradesh City: Dewas Club: Vaishnav College Sports Complex, Indore Krutika Giri travels 35kms from Dewas to Indore to play Pickleball everyday. After a long and tiresome journey from her home to Vaishnav College Sports Complex at Indore, that one shot from her paddle sounding the ‘tock’ completely rejuvenates her. She gets ready for the...
Gunasekharan for Glory- with the first name Anandan, this Indian Blade Runner is taking the world by storm
It has been an enthralling 32 years for Anandan Gunasekharan- from a small village of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu to becoming a soldier of Madras Sappers in the Indian Army and then surviving from near death to be an Indian blade runner winning multiple national and international medals. In 2005, Anandan Gunasekharan joined Indian Army as a soldier. But initially,...
“Pickleball is my passion; coaching new players is like doing my own revision …….”
with Kunal Bare DOB: 8th December 1995 State: Maharashtra City: Mumbai Club: Team CK, Club MK Academy Kunal Bare proudly announced that he is the Head Coach at Club MK Academy and he wants to continue serving Pickleball by coaching new players. “I want to promote Pickleball in my own way. I want to coach as much new players as I can. Coaching new...
To be or not to be? India-Pakistan Davis Cup tie faces several criticism and controversy
India-Pakistan Davis Cup tie in an Asia/Oceania group encounter is in a fix. In the nine months since the tie was announced, it has faced diplomatic, political and administrative quandary. In the second week of February, after India were relegated to the zone group by losing the World Group play-offs to Italy, the India-Pakistan tie in an Asia/Oceania group...
“I thought of forming the Mumbai City Association because district associations are much needed for legitimately spreading Pickleball in the society…….”
with Om Kubal DOB: 19th March 1996 State: Maharashtra City: Mumbai “I never make time for sports; it is my day to day life. I eat, sleep and repeat sports. It is like morning Shooting, afternoon Coaching, evening Pickleball and night Chess. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are my breaks.” Om Kubal is just 23, but being young did not stop him from...
26/11 is a past; now for Praveen Ironman Teotia its only ‘Run, Run and Run’
When Sportsavour last met Praveen Teotia, he signed off by saying, “Pain is there, it will always be there. But overcoming it is the greatest challenge. Success reduces all the pain…both mentally and physically.” Two years have passed in between and in these two years, Praveen Teotia has courageously faced all challenges and bravely conquered those. Today, he is one...
“Pickleball is so rejuvenating, it is like meditation for me…….”
with Sachin Shri Patil DOB: 28th November, 1976 State: Maharashtra City: Mumbai Club: JMD Sachin Shri Patil is a businessman; a man who has been into fashion industry quite for sometime. It is always a busy day for him when time flies; 24 hours in a day seems to be fairly less for his profession. But in those 24 hours there is always...