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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.

Know Thy Enemy: Why India Cannot Afford to Underestimate Pakistan’s Armed Forces

In the wake of the Pahalgam killings, India’s thirst for retribution must be tempered with a cold-eyed assessment of Pakistan’s growing military prowess.

As geopolitical tensions ratchet across the subcontinent in the wake of the Pahalgam massacre, it is imperative that India maintains a clear and unflinching understanding of Pakistan. For all its internal turmoil and economic fragility, Pakistan has quietly built one of the most formidable military arsenals in the region, complete with nuclear weapons, modern delivery systems, a powerful intelligence apparatus, and an evolving asymmetric warfare doctrine.


Pakistan’s armed forces remain a highly structured and potent organisation, encompassing not just the traditional tri-services (Army, Navy and Air Force) but also a formidable intelligence network, paramilitary units, and nuclear command structures. While Pakistan’s GDP and overall defence budget pale in comparison to India’s, Islamabad has consistently prioritised military modernisation, particularly in domains where asymmetric or technological advantages could offset India’s conventional superiority.


The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) exemplifies this dual approach of maintaining traditional strength while embracing new tools. It operates a versatile fleet of transport aircraft like the Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Gulfstream IV-SPs, in addition to Chinese-made Harbin Y-12s and Brazilian Embraer jets. Its four Il-78MP aerial refuelling tankers, acquired from Ukraine, extend the operational reach of its fighter jets—many of which are co-produced with China under the JF-17 Thunder programme. PAF’s trainer aircraft fleet, ranging from PAC MFI-17 Mushshaks to Hongdu JL-K8s, ensures a continuous pipeline of skilled pilots. The Sherdils aerobatic team, while symbolic, is a signal of both morale and operational readiness.


Modern warfare is increasingly shaped by unmanned systems and surveillance capabilities. Here too, Pakistan has made deep investments. A combination of domestically produced Shahpar UAVs and imported Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci drones, alongside Chinese Wing Loong IIs, gives the country real-time reconnaissance and precision-strike capabilities. The use of UAVs has proven decisive in recent conflicts across the globe and Pakistan appears to have learnt these lessons well.


Air defence is another domain where Pakistan’s strategic acquisitions stand out. Systems such as the MBDA Spada 2000 and China’s HQ-9B long-range air defence missiles provide a credible umbrella, complicating the calculus of any air incursion. The deployment of Crotale variants and even retrofitted armoured vehicles like the AML HE 60-20 for base security signals a layered, decentralised defence strategy.


But military power in Pakistan cannot be analysed without understanding the centrality of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Often dubbed the state’s ‘fourth service,’ the ISI wields influence well beyond the remit of traditional intelligence agencies. Staffed largely by military officers and headed by a three-star general reporting directly to both the Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff, the ISI has long been accused by Indian and international agencies of fuelling cross-border terrorism, aiding proxy groups and orchestrating hybrid warfare.


Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal casts a long shadow over any potential escalation. With an estimated 170 warheads and projections suggesting it could rise to 250 by 2025, Pakistan has deliberately pursued both strategic and tactical nuclear capabilities. Its missiles range from short-range battlefield systems to longer-range medium-range ballistic missiles. Crucially, unlike India, Pakistan does not adhere to a ‘No First Use’ policy, keeping the option of pre-emptive nuclear strike on the table. Its Strategic Plans Division (SPD) oversees this arsenal with stringent command-and-control protocols, making it not just a symbolic deterrent but a credible operational threat.


Pakistan’s paramilitary units and maritime agencies complement its traditional forces with flexible roles in law enforcement, counterterrorism, and coastal security. The Pakistan Coast Guards and the Maritime Security Agency, under the operational control of the Army and Navy respectively, perform overlapping tasks from anti-smuggling operations to maritime domain awareness. On land, the Pakistan Rangers and Civil Armed Forces play a dual role in border defence and internal security making them crucial in grey-zone warfare and hybrid operations.


It is tempting for Indian public discourse to dismiss Pakistan’s military might as posturing from a failing state. But despite persistent political instability, Pakistan’s armed forces continue to function as a professional and well-integrated institution with real teeth. Pakistan’s military has cultivated deeper ties with China and Turkey, both willing suppliers of cutting-edge military technology. Meanwhile, it has modernised selectively, emphasising mobility, precision and disruption over brute force.


To paraphrase the ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu, knowing oneself is half the battle. Knowing the enemy, especially one as opaque and versatile as Pakistan’s military-industrial complex, is the other half. India must resist the temptation to respond emotionally to provocations like Pahalgam. A hot-headed response, no matter how righteous, can escalate into a conflict with unpredictable consequences, particularly when nuclear weapons and non-state actors are both in play.


The current political moment demands more than bellicose rhetoric. It requires cold realism, strategic patience, and sustained investment in intelligence, surveillance, cyber capabilities and next-generation warfare. A hundred battles can be won but only by those who refuse to underestimate the enemy.


(The author is a former naval aviation officer and geopolitical analyst. Views personal.)

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