A month after Kolkata Knight Riders’ young talent, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, sparked controversy with a now-deleted tweet targeting Saina Nehwal, the badminton star has delivered a fiery response. The tweet, which implied Nehwal wouldn’t stand a chance against cricketer Jasprit Bumrah’s fast bowling, gained widespread attention before Raghuvanshi removed it.
In a recent interview on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Nehwal responded to comments about the dangers of cricket, countering that no sport should be judged solely on its risk level. She pointed out that just as she wouldn’t face Bumrah’s bowling without years of cricket training, he too would struggle with her 300 km/h badminton smash.
Nehwal used the opportunity to call for greater support for all sports in India, criticizing the nation’s fixation on cricket and Bollywood. She argued that if other sports received the same level of infrastructure and attention, India would excel across the board, particularly on the global stage, including the Olympics.
Her remarks underline a broader issue in Indian sports culture, advocating for a more inclusive and supportive environment for athletes beyond cricket.
