Every Sport Should be Treated Equally, says Chirag Shetty

Chirag who played a big role in helping India win Thomas Cup in 2022 said that When the government can honour World Cup-winning cricket stars, why not his efforts be recognized.

Recently, Indian cricketers Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal were fecilitated by the Maharashtra government for winning the 2024 T20 World Cup.

“Thomas Cup is equivalent to winning the World Cup. I was part of the Indian badminton team which won its maiden title, shocking champions Indonesia in the final. I was the only Maharashtra player in the Indian team. When the govt can honour World Cup-winning cricket stars, they should have also recognised my efforts. Government should treat any other sport equally,” Chirag said, as quoted by the Times of India.

Last year, Chirag along with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy became the first Indian men's doubles pair to be ranked No.1 in the world.

Chirag, a Khel Ratna Award recipient, said that he has nothing against cricket.

“I have nothing against cricket. In fact, we all badminton players watched the T20 World Cup final live on TV and celebrated enthusiastically. We are happy and proud about their sensational win against South Africa in the final. Similarly, we had also achieved something remarkable a couple of years ago, but the state government did not even felicitate me, leave apart giving any cash rewards. Before 2022, the Indian badminton team had never even reached the semifinals but we created history by winning the title.” Chirag said.