Cricket is by far the most popular sport in the country. It is also one of the sports that we Indians (well, our national cricket team) excel in. If there is one sport though which has been able to garner considerable popularity in the last one or two years, almost as much as cricket, then it is badminton. This sudden surge in popularity is not a result of a day’s work but instead a byproduct of success.
Of course, we cannot compare the two sports. After all, one is a team-based competition while the other is an individual-based one. However, we can compare how successful Indians have been in the two sports so far this year.
Badminton
This year, Indian shuttlers have been on a record-breaking spree. And no, it is not Saina Nehwal or PV Sindhu but the male shuttlers (Kidambi Srikanth, in particular) who have hogged the limelight.
Earlier this month, Srikanth made history by becoming the first Indian to register back-to-back Super Series titles after he won the Indonesian Open and the Australian Open. In the process, he also became the first Indian shuttler and just the sixth male shuttler in the world to reach three consecutive Super Series finals. He thus joined the pantheon of some of the greats of the sport including Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan.
Srikanth managed to upset World No 1 Son Wan Ho twice in two consecutive semi-finals, something that would have boosted his morale considerably.
Also read: Indian shuttlers lead the way in singles events at Super Series tournaments
Sindhu, who created history by winning the silver medal at the Olympics last year, had a brilliant home run earlier this year. She remained undefeated in two straight tournaments as she went on to lift the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold crown in Lucknow and the India Open title in April in Delhi. The India Open final was a rematch of the Olympic final but this time Sindhu defeated Carolina Marin.
Sai Praneeth too has been in good form this year. He won his maiden Super Series title at the Singapore Open where he managed to outplay Srikanth in the final. He then followed it up with another title in Bangkok at the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold.
Cricket
This year started with MS Dhoni stepping down as the limited-overs captain and Virat Kohli replacing him at the helm. Coming off the back of a 4-0 Test series victory against England, the Indian team, under a new leader, took on the English in a three-match ODI series.
The series marked the return of old warhorse Yuvraj Singh to the national team. A typical Kohli innings and a spectacular show from Kedar Jadhav sealed the win for India in the first ODI. In the second ODI, Yuvraj and Dhoni combined – both notching up big hundreds – to power India to a mammoth total. Although Eoin Morgan led a spirited fightback, England were always going to fall short. The visiting team did, however, win the last ODI to take home some positives before the T20 series.
The three-match T20 series that followed also saw the Indians winning 2-1. While England won the first match, the Men in Blue bounced back in the next two matches.
Bangladesh then came visiting for a one-off Test match. Arguably pitted against one of the strongest teams in the world, they were probably looking for a draw. In the first innings, India posted a massive 687, powered by Kohli’s double century. Things turned from bad to worse for the visitors as they ended up conceding a 299 run lead. India batted for a while to pile on the misery before bundling the opposition out to win the match.
In what was probably Captain Kohli’s most difficult challenge, the Australians toured India for a four-match Test series. With prestige and pride at stake, the Indians got off to a shaky start as they slumped to a defeat in the series opener and that too on a rank turner.
However, Kohli and his men managed to turn things around in the very next game. While the third Test ended in a draw, the fourth Test saw the Indians registering a comfortable victory as they managed to win the series 2-1, thus bringing an end to a long home season.
In June came yet another big test for Kohli – the Champions Trophy. Starting the tournament as firm favourites, the Indian team humbled arch-rivals Pakistan in their first match, a win that would have boosted their confidence massively. However, Sri Lanka managed to spring a surprise and shock the defending champions.
That did not deter India’s progress to the final, though, as they managed to defeat South Africa in the final group game and then Bangladesh in the semi-final with considerable ease. In the final, Pakistan outplayed Kohli’s side completely to take home the coveted trophy.
The women’s team, meanwhile, have been on a roll. They qualified for the ICC World Cup without any hiccups and went on to win the Quadrangular Series in South Africa.
Summary
| Sport | No. of major trophies |
| Badminton | 6 |
| Cricket | 5 |
Thus, it is evident that the Indian shuttlers have indeed had a very successful year so far. Hopefully, they will be able to extend their superb run through the year and challenge for more top titles.
