Thomas Cup: ‘India is not a sporting nation, no one cares…’ Why was the former world number 1 shuttler angry?

Doubles star Satwiksairaj Rankireddy shared a post on social media, in which there was a picture of him with the team, but there was no special enthusiasm or welcome around. This post went viral and started raising questions on Indian sports culture.

Rankireddy clearly said that he usually does not make such things public, but this time he felt it necessary to speak. He said that players do not need big awards or money, but even small praise is enough. If a child comes and says that you played well, then that is a big thing for us.

His biggest complaint came to light when the team returned to India. He told that no one even recognized him at the airport. We were wearing Thomas Cup jerseys, but no one even asked who we were. People were more busy with IPL and politics. He also told that the players had to book the cabs themselves, which was a very disappointing experience for them.

His partner Chirag Shetty also expressed similar sentiments. He said that people who follow badminton definitely appreciate him, but the general public does not understand the importance of his achievement. It is sad that we have still not become a sporting nation.

Chirag also said that playing for the country is a matter of pride, but it also comes with a lot of pressure, while not getting that much recognition in return. He even said that he will not inspire his child to play badminton, because this journey is mentally very difficult.

India had previously won medals in the Thomas Cup in 1952, 1955 and 1979 and also won the historic title in 2022. Despite this, players say that if you do not win gold, your achievement is not given that much importance. This whole matter points towards a big question that is India limited to just cricket? This resentment of the players shows that other sports in the country also need to be given equal respect and recognition.