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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.

Patole’s Pivotal Play

Updated: Nov 15, 2024

Nana Patole

One of the most closely watched contests in western Vidarbha in the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections will be in Sakoli constituency, where Nana Patole, the outspoken state Congress chief, is seeking re-election. His battle for a fourth term would be pivotal not only for his own political future but also for Congress’ staying power in Vidarbha which has witnessed a dramatic realignment of political forces in recent years.


In an eventful career of political switches, Patole had first left the Congress and joined the BJP on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and contested from Bhandara-Gondia (of which Sakoli is part of), defeating NCP heavyweight Praful Patel. Patole then famously quit the BJP in 2018 for the Congress after claiming he had been slighted by PM Narendra Modi, and then equally impulsively, stepped down as Maharashtra Assembly Speaker in 2021.


Along with Vijay Wadettiwar, Patole is the Congress’ most prominent OBC face here with a strong ground connect in rural Vidarbha. When he switched parties in 2018, he had cited his disillusionment with the BJP’s handling of issues important to farmers. Since then, he has built a staunch voter base by positioning himself as a fierce advocate for the region’s agrarian concerns.

While he won Sakoli in the 2019 Assembly polls, the current election presents a much more challenging prospect despite the Congress (and the MVA) delivering a sterling performance in this belt in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.


This time, Patole is pitted against the BJP’s Avinash Brahmankar - a former independent who has carved out a space for himself as an alternative to the Congressman. Brahmankar, it is said, has the backing of both the BJP and local anti-Congress factions. Brahmankar’s entry into the race has already galvanized the BJP’s base, which sees an opportunity to dethrone Patole, who has become something of a lightning rod for criticism from his former party and within the MVA as well.


While Patole’s position as the Congress state president and his advocacy for the OBC community are likely to keep him a formidable challenger, the BJP’s growing influence in Sakoli cannot be underestimated.

For Patole, the stakes are high. As Congress’s chief contender for the Chief Minister’s office in Maharashtra, his performance in Sakoli will shape the party’s prospects in Vidarbha – a region where the Maharashtra Congress’ strength is most concentrated.


In nearby Gondia, Patole’s influence effected a dramatic coup in getting veteran local leader Gopaldas Agrawal to rejoin the Congress after a five-year dalliance with the BJP. Agrawal, a former three-time MLA from Gondia, was promptly fielded as the MVA’s candidate where he takes on the BJP’s Vinod Agrawal.

As Agrawal seeks redemption, the Congress is bolstered by the recent joining of another former BJP local heavyweight, Shishupal Patle. Patle’s political career has seen dramatic highs and lows, including his famous 2004 defeat of Praful Patel, then the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation.


Amidst these contests, rising stars are seeking to make a lasting mark in eastern Vidarbha’s political firmament. Narendra Bhondekar, incumbent MLA of Bhandara, who joined the ruling Shiv Sena led by CM Eknath Shinde after jettisoning his ‘independent’ status, is seeking re-election for a third time. His advocacy for sustainable agriculture and green energy initiatives has earned him significant grassroots support. Shinde has promised Bhondekar the Guardian Ministership of Bhandara if he wins this time.


This year’s election cycle is unlike any other, with political alliances and rivalries in East Vidarbha heating up as the clock ticks relentlessly to polling day.

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