I think that Jasprit Bumrah won’t be able to withstand my smash if we play badminton: Saina Nehwal

“Maybe Jasprit Bumrah won’t be able to withstand my smash if we play badminton together. These are hardly reasons to start domestic conflicts within our own nation. That is my intention (before). Each sport has its ideal location. Give other sports some weight, though, I would like to say. If not, where will the culture of sports come from? We will always be focused on Bollywood and cricket, she continued.

Angkrish had remarked on X, the former Twitter platform, “Let’s see how she goes when Jasprit Bumrah bowls 150k’s bumper at her head.” The elite athlete responded by taking aim at the comparison.

Aces The ongoing discussion of cricket’s dominance in Indian sports culture was recently addressed by badminton player Saina Nehwal, an Indian. Her remarks about how other sports have less physical demands than cricket have caused controversy.

Cricket has always held a dominant place in Indian sports culture, even taking precedence over other sports. Saina Nehwal, the bronze medallist from the 2012 London Olympics, has been a strong voice in favor of increased funding and acknowledgment of sports other than cricket in the nation.

Nehwal initially asserted that physical demands of sports such as badminton, tennis, and basketball surpass those of cricket. Cricket supporters, especially young Angkrish Raghuvanshi of the Kolkata Knight Riders, took exception at this and challenged Nehwal to take on fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah in a contentious social media post.

“Why would I ever confront Jasprit Bumrah? Nehwal stated on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, “Maybe if I had been playing for eight years, I would have answered Jasprit Bumrah.”

Cricket is primarily a skill-based game: Saina Nehwal

The champion badminton player also emphasized the need for India to have a more inclusive sports culture. She promoted putting an end to domestic fighting and advancing sports culture.

While acknowledging that players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had extraordinary skills, Nehwal insisted that other sports achievements should not be undervalued due to the rarity of these players’ caliber of performance.

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“How do you think you’ll be Virat Kohli at that level? How are you going to become Rohit Sharma? They must emulate so many other players. They’re unable to. That’s not the case for all of them. However, I think it’s more of a skill-based sport. And I agree, bowlers. I’m not going to die there,” she declared.