top of page

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.

The House That BYD Built

By owning every link in its supply chain, China's electric-vehicle titan is outpacing rivals and redefining the rules of global manufacturing.

In the race to electrify the world’s roads, no company better exemplifies the power of vertical integration than BYD. What began as a modest battery firm in Shenzhen has quietly morphed into the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, dethroning Tesla in global battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales by the final quarter of 2023.


At the heart of BYD’s success is a simple but radical idea: make almost everything yourself. Unlike rivals that depend on sprawling networks of suppliers, BYD produces roughly 75 percent of its own vehicle components including the lithium-ion batteries, semiconductors, electric motors and control systems that power its sleek sedans and nimble buses. Across more than 100 internal factories, this manufacturing muscle gives BYD granular control over cost, quality, and delivery. That autonomy has proved priceless in an age of supply chain chaos.


Where other automakers reeled from chip shortages and geopolitical shocks, BYD pressed ahead. Battery output hit 135 gigawatt-hours in 2022, insulating the firm from third-party price gouging and logistics snarls. Even amid the turbulence of rising raw material costs and geopolitical friction, BYD maintained its stride by owning key inputs by securing lithium mines in Brazil and cementing access to cobalt and nickel. It has managed not just to avoid crisis, but to convert it into competitive advantage


Control, however, is not merely about security but also about speed. BYD can take a car from concept to production in just two years, half the time many traditional carmakers require. By collapsing decision-making hierarchies and eliminating friction between engineering, production, and procurement, the company pivots with the agility of a tech startup. That nimbleness is increasingly vital as consumers’ tastes and governments’ regulations shift at breakneck pace.


BYD has embedded cutting-edge technologies into every node of its manufacturing network. Smart factories, dense with sensors and powered by AI—forecast demand, optimise production, and automate warehousing with minimal human intervention. Internet-of-things devices track components in real-time, while predictive analytics schedule maintenance before breakdowns occur. This allows BYD to scale output up to three times faster than conventional manufacturers, while keeping costs and disruptions low.


The embrace of AI and data science is matched by an equally methodical approach to quality. Borrowing from the gospel of Lean and Six Sigma, BYD has institutionalised a culture of continuous improvement that drives defect rates ever lower. In the factory, this results in faster cycle times and more consistent quality; in the showroom, it translates to competitive pricing and satisfied customers.


BYD’s commitment to self-sufficiency extends even to the end of a battery’s life. Rather than discarding used cells, the company recycles them in-house. This closed-loop model not only slashes waste and environmental impact but also cushions the firm from future resource scarcities. In an era where ESG credentials are scrutinised as closely as quarterly earnings, BYD’s integrated sustainability is more than just good PR, being a hedge against volatility.


To be sure, BYD is not completely isolated. The company forms selective partnerships with technology titans like Toyota, NVIDIA and Huawei that augment its innovation pipeline without compromising core autonomy. But the guiding philosophy remains: own what matters most, outsource only where value is additive.


Between 2016 and 2023, BYD scaled annual production from half a million vehicles to over 4 million. Battery prices have plunged by more than 80% over the past decade, helping it offer EVs at prices once thought impossible. In 2024, the firm posted revenues of $107 billion, with net profits soaring 34 percent year-on-year. Its vehicles now outsell Tesla’s, not just in China, but globally - a milestone that would have seemed fanciful just five years ago.


The broader lesson from BYD’s ascent is not that vertical integration is fashionable again, but that it may be indispensable. In a world defined by geopolitical, climatic or epidemiological volatility, resilience is the new gold standard. BYD’s fortress-like supply chain is not merely a feat of engineering or logistics; it is a strategy of survival in an age of disruption.


Other automakers would do well to study the blueprint. The future of mobility may not belong to the firm with the flashiest technology or most charismatic CEO. It may belong instead to the company that controls its destiny.


(The author is a digital product leader passionate about energy innovation, manufacturing and driving impact through technology. Views personal.)


Comments

bottom of page