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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 would be 'wiped out' if it continued anti-India operations: Anurag Thakur

  • PTI
  • May 5, 2025
  • 2 min read




Hamirpur (HP): Former Union minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Monday lashed out at Pakistan for "fomenting troubles" on the borders and said that if Pakistan continued with such anti-India operations, it would be "wiped out".


The BJP leaders in Shimla submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner, urging him to immediately identify the Pakistanis living here both legally and illegally and ensure that they are sent back. The BJP workers and leaders also took out a protest march in the Lower Bazaar area of the town, raising anti-Pakistan slogans.


Himachal Pradesh BJP chief Rajiv Bindal said Pakistanis cannot be kept in the state and protests are being held at 17 places in the state. If the state government did not identify Pakistanis living in the state and ensure their repatriation, the BJP would launch a 'Jagaran Abhiyan' in the coming days, he said.


Addressing a district-level rally organised by the party at Gandhi Chowk here to protest against the terrorist attack on tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed at least 26 lives, Thakur said that the Union Government has made it clear that a befitting reply would be given at the right time.


He said that if Pakistan continued with anti-India operations, it would be "wiped out" from the world polity.


In view of the brutal killings in Pahalgam, the Narendra Modi government has taken many diplomatic steps against Pakistan, including the decision to send back Pakistani citizens living in India officially or unofficially, Thakur, the sitting MP from Hamirpur Lok Sabha said.


This work is going on at a rapid pace in many states, but sadly the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh is not at all serious about finding and sending back the Pakistani citizens living in Himachal and therefore, the party decided to protest at every district on Monday, he said.


He said that on one hand, the Congress is extending its support to the government's decision to ban various facilities to Pakistan while on the other, its leaders are still making "irrelevant statements".


Protests were also held in Kullu, Una, Lahaul and Spiti and other places in the state.

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