Indian para table tennis player Bhavina Patel on Sunday gave the country it's first medal in the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics 2020. She bagged the silver medal after losing the summit clash 3-0 against world number one Chinese paddler Ying Zhou in the women’s singles class 4 final.


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Making her maiden appearance at the Paralympics, Bhavina showed grit and lost two matches in her way to the medal, which also is India's first in Paralympics table tennis.


The 34-year-old after winning the medal expressed the desire to meet batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, who has been one of the biggest motivator in her career.  


In Pics | Misery to history: Bhavina Patel’s challenging journey to glory 


Speaking to NDTV after her historic feat, Bhavina said: "I have always been inspired by Sachin Tendulkar. I want to see him with my own eyes and I want to soak in all the motivational speeches from him that will give me even more confidence."



Sachin Tendulkar on Bhavina Patel's achievement


Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar praised paddler Bhavina Patel for winning a silver in the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics and said every medal India win will "inspire millions into the sport". 



TTFI announces Rs 31 lakh cash reward


The Table Tennis Federation of India announced a Rs 31 lakh cash reward for Bhavina. Haryana Deputy Chief Minister and TTFI President Dushyant Chautala announced the cash reward via a social media post.


Bhavina lost the final on Sunday but capped off a memorable campaign with a historic silver. The 34-year-old Patel's impressive run at the Games ended with a fighting 7-11 5-11 6-11 loss to China's Ying Zhou, a two-time gold medallist. 


- with PTI inputs