Days after cricketers were awarded, badminton star Chirag criticizes the Maharashtra government
Chirag Shetty, the third-ranked badminton player in the world, has publicly criticized the Maharashtra government for its partial acknowledgment of sporting achievements, drawing attention to the absence of recognition for achievements outside of cricket. The 26-year-old pointed out that although the state government recently celebrated four Maharashtra cricket players, including Rohit Sharma, he did not receive the same acknowledgment for his crucial part in India’s historic victory in the Thomas Cup in 2022.
Shetty made it clear that his criticism was about the unfair treatment of other sports, not of cricket players. The Maharashtra government has declared prize money for the Indian cricket players who won the Twenty20 World Cup to be Rs 11 crore. On July 5, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde held a ceremony at the Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai to commemorate Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“Winning the World Cup is equal to winning the Thomas Cup. I competed for the Indian badminton team, which upset the defending champion Indonesia in the championship match to win its first title. I was the sole player from Maharashtra on the Indian squad. My achievements should have been acknowledged by the government, like they can honor cricket players who have won the World Cup. According to the Times of India, Chirag Shetty stated, “Government should treat any other sport equally.”
Following their return from Barbados, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the Indian T20 World Cup cricket team in New Delhi. The squad then participated in an open-top bus procession around Mumbai, and later on Thursday, BCCI President Jay Shah presented the team with a cheque for Rs 125 crore at the Wankhede Stadium.
“I don’t have any issues with cricket. We all cheered loudly as we watched the live T20 World Cup final on TV as badminton players. Regarding their incredible victory over South Africa in the championship, we are delighted and pleased.
Comparably, a few years prior, we had also accomplished something noteworthy, but the state government did not even acknowledge me or provide financial compensation. The Indian badminton team had never advanced past the semifinals before to 2022, but Chirag stated that “we made history by taking home the title.”
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were instrumental in India’s historic first-ever Thomas Cup victory. In the championship match, Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen, and Satwik-Chirag helped the men’s team upset the reigning champions, Indonesia.
Since then, Satwik and Chirag have become stronger and stronger. Following their gold medal triumph at the Asian Games last year, the pair was rated No. 1 in men’s doubles. One of India’s top hopes for an Olympic gold is Satwik and Chirag.