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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.

Sanjay Raut alleges attempt to bribe Maharashtra legislature panel, CM orders SIT probe

  • PTI
  • May 22, 2025
  • 2 min read


Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has alleged that his party's workers foiled an attempt to `bribe' the state legislature's Estimates Committee during their visit to Dhule district, prompting Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to order probe by a special team.


Committee chairman Arjun Khotkar rubbished allegations linking the episode to his personal assistant (PA). Khotkar is an MLA of the Shiv Sena led by deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.



In a post on X on Wednesday night, Raut alleged that more than Rs 5 crore in cash was found in a room at the government rest house in Dhule city.


¿When the legislature estimates committee visited Dhule district today (Wednesday), about five and a half crore rupees were kept in room number 102 at the Dhule government rest house Gulmohar for giving bribe to the committee,¿ the Rajya Sabha member claimed.


Former Shiv Sena MLA Anil Anna Gote and local Sena (UBT) leaders locked the room and stood guard outside, Raut said.



¿Despite informing the district collector, superintendent of police and Anti-Corruption Bureau, no one has come even after four to five hours....There is no cooperation from the administration. The bribe was meant to suppress corruption in development works and officials' involvement in it,¿ he alleged.


The estimates committee is empowered to scrutinise the utilisation of funds allocated to a particular area in the state budget.



Dhule superintendent of police Shrikant Dhivare told reporters that the matter was being probed.


Talking to reporters, Anil Gote claimed that Room 102 was booked in the name of Khotkar's PA Kishore Patil.


Khotkar, however, denied this, and said the money found in the rest house had nothing to do with the committee. ¿I spoke to my PA. He said he hadn't booked that room. He had booked the one next to it,¿ he said.


Raut subsequently told reporters that the person in whose name room 102 was booked should be probed.


Talking to reporters in Mumbai, chief minister Fadnavis said it was a serious incident. "The whole truth is not known. But the truth must come out. A question mark on a legislature committee cannot be tolerated . The respect and dignity of the legislature has to be upheld. An SIT (special investigation team) will be formed to ascertain the truth. Probe will be conducted into the money trail and whether anyone had asked for it," he said.


Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, also said he will request the assembly speaker and council chairperson to set up a separate ethics committees to ascertain the truth.


"Under no circumstances functioning of a legislature committee should come under a cloud," he said.

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