Indian badminton doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty expressed disappointment over the lack of public reception after their Thomas Cup bronze medal win. Through a cryptic social media post, the pair highlighted the disparity in recognition for non-cricket sports, with Chirag Shetty stating India is "not a sporting nation yet."
Indian badminton doubles star Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are apparently disappointed over a lack of reception following India’s bronze medal win at the recently concluded Thomas Cup.
India's men’s badminton team, comprising Hariharan Amsakarunan, Kiran George, Dhruv Kapila, Srikanth Kidambi, Prannoy HS, Arjun M. R, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Lakshya Sen, Chirag Shetty, and Ayush Shetty, settled for a Bronze medal after losing to eventual runners-up Denmark in the semifinal.
India, which clinched a historic Thomas Cup Gold medal, won their just second medal of the prestigious men’s badminton event after four years, marking only their second podium finish in the tournament’s history.
Lack of Reception for India’s Thomas Cup Heroes
The Indian men’s badminton team landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi from Denmark in the early hours of Tuesday morning, May 5. However, the Thomas Cup bronze medalists were met with a muted reception, with no notable celebrations or crowd presence to welcome their achievement.
The disappointment was expressed by Satwikreddy and Chirag, who took to their Instagram stories and shared a cryptic message highlighting the lack of recognition for their achievement upon returning home.
"Back home now. As usual, no one knows what happened over the past two weeks, and it seems like no one really cares." The Indian badminton doubles pair wrote on Instagram.
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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s post appears to be an indirect reflection of the lack of recognition for achievements in sports beyond cricket.
Since India’s T20 World Cup triumphs in 2024 and 2026, and the Women’s ODI World Cup victory in 2025 drew massive nationwide celebrations and widespread attention, the contrast has once again highlighted the disparity in recognition between cricket and other sports in the country.
‘We’re Not Sporting Nation Yet’
India’s Thomas Cup squad was felicitated by the Authority of India in New Delhi, but the lack of wider public recognition and fanfare remained a talking point following their return.
Echoing the sentiment around the post, Chirag Shetty bluntly stated that India is still not a sporting nation, adding that medals are being won consistently, but athletes outside cricket do not receive the recognition and celebration they deserve from the general public.
“The general public, I feel, didn’t really know the magnitude of the (2022) result and that, sometimes, really makes me sad because I think we are not a sporting nation yet,” Chirag said as quoted by SportStar.
“We win a lot of medals, but we don’t celebrate our athletes the way we should. There’s plenty more that we need to do. There’s only very little that the government can do, which they are already doing.
“The schemes and everything else for the past 10 years, since I’ve been playing professional badminton, have been terrific. But I think the ecosystem needs to start celebrating sporting achievements,” he added.
Since cricket is dominant in India’s sporting landscape, achievements in other sports often struggle to receive the same level of attention, recognition, and celebration from the general public.
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