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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.

Run Silent, Run Deep

Updated: Jan 8, 2025

A dangerous game of brinkmanship instigated by China is currently brewing in the Taiwan Strait, testing the limits of the island’s sovereignty.

brinkmanship

On January 3, Taiwan woke to yet another disruption to its critical undersea telecom cables - this time near its northern coast. Authorities have suspected the Shunxin-39, a Hong Kong-owned freighter flagged under Cameroon but linked to Chinese interests, of severing the lines. The ship evaded detailed inspection, citing rough seas and exploiting legal loopholes, leaving questions unanswered and tensions high.


This latest incident is part of a troubling pattern. Taiwan’s vital underwater infrastructure has faced repeated disruptions in recent months, causing concerns about Beijing’s escalating use of ‘gray-zone’ tactics.


Modern Taiwan is a technological powerhouse, heavily reliant on undersea cables for its internet and telecommunications. These cables, forming the arteries of global communication, are particularly vulnerable. Such acts disrupt not only Taiwan’s connectivity but also signal Beijing’s willingness to exploit vulnerabilities without crossing the threshold of outright war.


China’s approach to Taiwan has been multifaceted. While military drills near Kinmen, an island perilously close to the Chinese mainland, garner global headlines, quieter provocations like telecom cable sabotage reveal a more calculated campaign. Since February 2024, Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels have amplified their patrols near Kinmen. Ostensibly routine, these incursions carry an implicit message: Beijing is willing to push the boundaries of international law and Taiwanese patience.


The symbolic significance of Kinmen cannot be overstated. This tiny archipelago, with its picturesque beaches and proximity to China, epitomizes Taiwan’s vulnerability. Historically, Kinmen bore the brunt of the Chinese Communist Party’s ambitions to eradicate the remnants of the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) during the Chinese Civil War. The island’s fortified beaches and determined defenders thwarted PLA advances in the 1950s. Today, Kinmen is less a site of open battle and more a testing ground for China’s gray zone provocations.


The severing of telecom cables is emblematic of a new front in hybrid warfare. By targeting critical infrastructure without overt acknowledgment, China demonstrates its ability to erode Taiwan’s defences and resilience. The strategy mirrors Russian tactics in the Baltic region, where undersea cables and pipelines have been targeted to sow uncertainty and expose vulnerabilities.


The stakes extend far beyond Taiwan. The Trans-Pacific Express cable, damaged in the recent incident, connects East Asia to the United States. Its uninterrupted functioning underpins global internet traffic, financial transactions, and military communications. The severing of such cables, even temporarily, underscores the fragility of the world’s interconnected systems.


Europe, too, is grappling with this threat. Finland’s accusation of Russian involvement in severing a power cable with Estonia highlights how underwater infrastructure is becoming a battleground for geopolitical rivals. However, for small states like Taiwan and the Baltic nations, the problem is existential.


Taiwan has sought international assistance, appealing to the European Union for technical expertise and diplomatic pressure. But response from western democracies, preoccupied with overt conflicts such as the Russo-Ukrainian War, has been muted.


The increased activity of Chinese vessels in its waters, coupled with military exercises targeting front-line islands, signals Beijing’s willingness to choke Taiwan. These provocations coincide with a shift in Taiwan’s leadership. The inauguration of Lai Ching-te, a staunch advocate for Taiwanese sovereignty, has exacerbated tensions. Beijing’s disdain for Lai’s pro-democracy stance has translated into escalated military drills and heightened incursions.


For China, these actions are part of a larger playbook. Gray-zone operations, be it cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and maritime incursions, aim to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, undermine its economy and erode its resolve. Beijing’s ultimate goal—bringing Taiwan under its control— hinges as much on economic and psychological warfare as on military might.


The tensions in the Taiwan Strait are not merely a bilateral issue between Taipei and Beijing but a stress test for the international order. The inability to counter gray zone tactics reveals a gap in global governance and deterrence mechanisms.

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