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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.

Pakistan resorts To unprovoked firing on Indian positions along LOC for 7th consecutive day



Jammu: For the seventh consecutive day on Thursday, Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian positions on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.


A Defence Ministry Spokesman said, "During the night of 30 April and May 1, Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small-arms fire across the LoC opposite Kupwara, Uri and Akhnoor sectors in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. These were responded to proportionately by the Indian Army."


For the last seven days, Pakistan has been resorting to unprovoked firing on the LoC and on Wednesday, Pakistan Rangers fired with small arms at the Indian posts along the International Border in the Pargwal sector of Jammu district.


Tensions have mounted between the two countries after Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists sponsored and aided by Pakistan killed 26 innocent civilians, including 25 tourists and a local, on April 22 in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.


The entire country was outraged by the cowardly act of terrorists as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his first reaction on Pahalgam killings that the terrorists, their handlers and backers would he chased and hunted down to the ends of the earth.


After a meeting with the Defence Minister, National Security Advisor, Chief of Defence Services (CDS) and the three Chiefs of Army, Navy and the Air Force, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a free hand to the defence forces to respond to Pahalgam terror attack by choosing the timing, targets and the magnitude of response to avenge the innocent killings by the terrorists in Pahalgam.


Prior to this, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had a 40-minute-long meeting with Prime Minister Modi on Monday.


The Defence Minister met the PM after he received a detailed briefing by the CDS on the preparedness of the country's armed forces to meet any eventuality.


Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha had a security review meeting with Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi in Srinagar a few days ago.


The L-G asked the Army to use whatever force is required to hunt down the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack.


Meanwhile, to send a powerful message to terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers, security forces continue demolition of the houses of terrorists.


The L-G again reviewed the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir at a high-level security meeting on Wednesday.


Last Friday, two houses belonging to Adil Hussain Thokar and Asif Sheikh were demolished in the Tral and Bijbehara areas.


Both these terrorists were part of the LeT terrorist group involved in the Pahalgam killings.


Security forces have so far demolished the houses of 10 terrorists, who are reportedly still active in the Kashmir Valley.


On Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly unanimously condemned the dastardly terrorist attack and passed a resolution on this.

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