HYDERABAD : The sports fraternity is replete with power couples, from Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf in the late nineties to the more recent story of Pakistan cricketer and former captain Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza, a pairing that transcended a rivalry of decades. While most of these pairs hogged the limelight, how many can claim to have donned the same jersey and paired up to represent their countries? Not many. Enter the mixed-doubles/husband-wife pair of Chris and Gabrielle Adcock.
The British badminton duo are on a roll in the ongoing Premier Badminton League Season 2, having won all their matches for Chennai Smashers. Playing together since their pre-teen days, they were interestingly up against each other during the first season of the PBL, representing different teams.
When queried about the times they have faced each other, Chris replied, “Not many times. We faced each other in the last PBL season, and have played against each other in the NBL league back in our home country. But we practice against each other every day. So, it’s not so different.”
Indian superstar PV Sindhu, their teammate at Smashers, has swept the duo off their feet. “She’s an amazing ambassador for the sport, and we’ve known her for a long time. She’s still the same person even after achieving something remarkable like an Olympics silver medal. She’s so humble,” Gabby noted.
The pair became the first British players to clinch a title at the World Superseries finals in 2015. They proved the performance was no fluke by claiming silver in December last year. “We’re always looking to improve. There are always areas you want to improve on. There’s no such thing as a perfect player,” exclaimed Chris, 27.
The pair helped their team reach the semifinals, scheduled for Friday. And the Adcocks are realistic about their targets. “It’ll be a busy year and obviously, we cannot play our best at all events. So we’ll try to play well at the peak events,” they echoed.
vishal@newindianexpress.com