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By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 1:54:18 pm

Applause for Cricket, Silence for Badminton

Mumbai: When Lakshya Sen walked off the court after the final of the All England Badminton Championships, he carried with him the disappointment of another near miss. The Indian shuttler went down in straight games to Lin Chun-Yi, who created history by becoming the first player from Chinese Taipei to lift the prestigious title. But the story of Lakshya Sen’s defeat is not merely about badminton final. It is also about the contrasting way India celebrates its sporting heroes. Had the same...

Applause for Cricket, Silence for Badminton

Mumbai: When Lakshya Sen walked off the court after the final of the All England Badminton Championships, he carried with him the disappointment of another near miss. The Indian shuttler went down in straight games to Lin Chun-Yi, who created history by becoming the first player from Chinese Taipei to lift the prestigious title. But the story of Lakshya Sen’s defeat is not merely about badminton final. It is also about the contrasting way India celebrates its sporting heroes. Had the same narrative unfolded on a cricket field, the reaction would have been dramatically different. In cricket, even defeat often becomes a story of heroism. A hard-fought loss by the Indian team can dominate television debates, fill newspaper columns and trend across social media for days. A player who narrowly misses a milestone is still hailed for his fighting spirit. The nation rallies around its cricketers not only in victory but also in defeat. The narrative quickly shifts from the result to the effort -- the resilience shown, the fight put up, the promise of future triumph. This emotional investment is one of the reasons cricket enjoys unparalleled popularity in India. It has built a culture where players become household names and their performances, good or bad, become part of the national conversation. Badminton Fights Contrast that with what happens in sports like badminton. Reaching the final of the All England Championships is a monumental achievement. The tournament is widely considered badminton’s equivalent of Wimbledon in prestige and tradition. Only the very best players manage to reach its final stages, and doing it twice speaks volumes about Lakshya Sen’s ability and consistency. Yet the reaction in India remained largely subdued. There were congratulatory posts, some headlines acknowledging the effort and brief discussions among badminton enthusiasts. But the level of national engagement never quite matched the magnitude of the achievement. In a cricketing context, reaching such a stage would have triggered days of celebration and analysis. In badminton, it often becomes just another sports update. Long Wait India’s wait for an All England champion continues. The last Indian to win the title was Pullela Gopichand in 2001. Before him, Prakash Padukone had scripted history in 1980. These victories remain among the most significant milestones in Indian badminton. And yet, unlike cricketing triumphs that are frequently revisited and celebrated, such achievements rarely stay in the mainstream sporting conversation for long. Lakshya Sen’s journey to the final should ideally have been viewed as a continuation of that legacy, a reminder that India still possesses the talent to challenge the world’s best in badminton. Instead, it risks fading quickly from public memory. Visibility Gap The difference ultimately comes down to visibility and cultural investment. Cricket in India is not merely a sport; it is an ecosystem built over decades through media attention, sponsorship, and mass emotional attachment. Individual sports, on the other hand, often rely on momentary bursts of recognition, usually during Olympic years or when a medal is won. But consistent performers like Lakshya Sen rarely receive the sustained spotlight that their achievements deserve. This disparity can also influence the next generation. Young athletes are naturally drawn to sports where success brings recognition, financial stability and national fame. When one sport monopolises the spotlight, others struggle to build similar appeal. Beyond Result Lakshya Sen may have finished runner-up again, but his performance at the All England Championship is a reminder that India continues to produce world-class athletes in disciplines beyond cricket. The real issue is not that cricket receives immense attention -- it deserves the admiration it gets. The concern is that athletes from other sports often do not receive comparable appreciation for achievements that are equally significant in their own arenas. If India aspires to become a truly global sporting nation, its applause must grow broader. Sporting pride cannot remain confined to one field. Because somewhere on a badminton court, an athlete like Lakshya Sen is fighting just as hard for the country’s colours as any cricketer on a packed stadium pitch. The only difference is how loudly the nation chooses to cheer.

Badgujar’s entry points to BJP’s helplessness

Mumbai: Despite opposition from the local party MLAs, the state BJP leadership on Tuesday inducted tainted Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders from Nashik, Sudhakar Badgujar and former minister Babanrao Gholap into the party fold. Their entry into the BJP has raised questions whether the party lacks confidence of winning in the state’s fifth largest city.


Though the BJP had won the Nashik Municipal Corporation in 2017, its state leadership has sensed the need for an effective and enterprising leader in the district. Badgujar meets all qualities that the state leadership is looking for. He has good hold over the local city and district politics and he holds capacity to influence various groups active in various pockets. This gives him prominence over all others.


The state BJP leadership was well aware that inducting him into the party would mean inviting trouble in the local party organization. However, they couldn’t see any other leader in the district who would win the ensuing city Municipal Corporation, the Zilla Parishad and the Panchayat Samiti elections for the party.


That was the reason why state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule was not sure about the decision about him until almost the last moment. Badgujar and Gholap, along with their supporters, had to wait almost for three hours at the state BJP headquarters before they were formally inducted into the party. This fact points to the resistance they had from the local party workers


Badgujar was expelled from the Shiv Sena (UBT) after he met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Nashik even while party leader Sanjay Raut was touring the city.


While the state leadership was busy welcoming Badgujar, Nashik MLA Seema Hire once again fired a salvo at him. “It will be difficult to work with traitors and rebels,” she told a local TV news channel just ahead of Badgujar’s joining the BJP. Badgujar contested election against Hire and she fears her political space shall shrink if he is inducted in the party. She also reiterated charges against Badgujar, who was seen in a video dancing with Salim Kutta – an accused in 1993 Mumbai serial blast case. His son is an accused in a shooting case while Badgujar himself faces 17 severe cases. “He might be joining the party in order to hide all the cases against him,” Hire said.


Interestingly, other two BJP MLAs in the Nashik city Rahul Dhikle and Devyani Farande too have opposed Badgujar’s induction into the party.

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