Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the entire nation is praying for Bhavina Patel's success in the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics.
Bhavina continued her dream run in the Paralympics Games as she stormed into the finals after defeating Zhang Miao of China 3-2 in her Class 4 match.
PM Modi congratulated Bhavina and said her accomplishments "inspire the entire nation".
"Congratulations Bhavina Patel! You played excellently. The entire nation is praying for your success and will be cheering for you tomorrow. Give your best and play without any pressure. Your accomplishments inspire the entire nation. #Paralympics," PM Modi tweeted.
Bhavina created history by becoming the first Indian to enter the finals of the Paralympic Games table tennis competition.
After winning the clash, Bhavina said she never thought of reaching the finals of the Tokyo Paralympics and was only focused on giving her 100 per cent in every match.
"If I keep on performing like this, I will definitely win the gold medal. I never thought of reaching the finals and only concentrated on giving my 100 per cent and I did that only," said Bhavina in a Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) video.
"And when you give your 100 per cent you can win a medal. I am mentally ready for the finals and I just want to give my 100 per cent," she added.
Bhavinaben will take on world number one Chinese paddler Ying Zhou in the summit clash on Sunday. Patel will face a tough challenge from Zhou in the gold medal match. She had gone down tamely (3-11 9-11 2-11) to the Chinese player in her opening group match on Wednesday.
When is Bhavinaben Patel’s Paralympics gold medal match?
Bhavinaben Patel’s Paralympics gold medal match against Ying Zhou is on Sunday, August 29, 2021 in Tokyo.
Time
7.15am IST on Sunday.
Broadcast
Doordarshan (DD Sports and DD National) and Eurosport TV Channel.
Live stream
The Eurosport channel on the discovery+ app.
