While Indian sports fans' attention and sensibilities have been distracted by the IPL, the men's badminton team has accomplished something genuinely remarkable in May. They won the bronze medal at the Thomas Cup, the badminton team world championships, which are frequently compared to the World Cup in the sport. To put this accomplishment in perspective, India is not typically thought of as a badminton superpower. As a result, this podium result, which follows their historic gold in 2022, will undoubtedly go down in Indian badminton history.

INDIA'S THOMAS CUP HEROES LOST IN IPL NOISE: BRONZE, BARELY A BUZZ
However, there was neither celebration nor acknowledgement. Nobody even stopped by the airport to congratulate the players on their return trip from Horsens, Denmark. In a special interview with NDTV, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy discussed the team's and H. S. Prannoy's efforts to stand out.
"There were between 5,000 and 10,000 people at the airport, and nobody recognised us," he stated. That was quite unpleasant. Simply say hello to us. We don't require anything significant in life. Our uniforms were identical. 'Thomas Cup' and the Indian flag were printed on our T-shirts.

As a crew, we printed the T-shirts ourselves; Prannoy came up with the concept to wear something unique so that everyone would appear the same. Official T-shirts were provided by the federation, but we went above and beyond with these."
JEWELLERY PAWNING TO WORLD NO. 3
The lack of encouragement has disappointed the third-ranked doubles player in the world. He claims that he advanced through the ranks to represent India and rule a format that had little Indian presence in the past. During such difficult times, he took out a loan secured by his mother's jewellery:
"My parents didn't have enough money to support me when I first started playing badminton. They provided me with loans secured by my mother's valuables. We all battled to be here.

ELITE ATHLETE VS. INFLUENCER
He talked on how difficult it is for every Indian athlete to compete at the highest level and how their efforts are rarely acknowledged or celebrated.People are telling us on social media that we should only be honoured when we take home a gold medal. Even so, this accomplishment is quite significant. The fact that a social media influencer in Hyderabad, my hometown, is given preference at a restaurant and is seated before me, a Khel Ratna recipient, hurts.Satwik was also a member of the Indian Thomas Cup team that won a gold medal in 2022. He believes that the sporting public might not have realised the significance of that victory four years ago. But the fact that nothing has changed irritates him.
"It's not personal," he stated. I was a little irritated since that's what's going on. Nobody even knew what the Thomas Cup was before we won it in 2022. However, nothing has changed when we return four years later with a medal. I was therefore somewhat irritated. We don't need prize money or anything significant. All we want is for people to know that there is an Indian badminton team.

People ought to have pleasure in the sport. It's not just about other sports; enjoy yourself while watching badminton. We want that. Just acknowledge us.
A PLEA FOR VISIBILITY AND RESPECT, NOT CRICKET VS. BADMINTON
He does not compare the situation to cricket, a sport with a set schedule and steady viewership, because he is an avid supporter of Team India. He does, however, draw attention to badminton's lack of exposure on television and streaming services, which could alter the game.Will he no longer encourage his kids to play badminton as a result of this experience? Although he doesn't state it clearly, he does draw attention to the mental health issues that young athletes encounter as a result of their lack of recognition.I wouldn't compel my children to participate in any sport. They can engage in any kind of recreational play.
My argument was that nothing has changed in the past four years. When will this change, then? A athletic career lasts only eight to ten years. There are a lot of unsung heroes. We likewise came from nothing; we were poor and had a lot of hardships.
It's even more difficult in badminton. Your ranking decreases if you don't play for three months.It's even more difficult in badminton. Your ranking decreases if you don't play for three months. To even qualify for major competitions like the World Championships or All England, you must remain in the top 32. It is quite difficult to recover from an injury.
It's far more difficult in doubles; there was no obvious way forward. Legends like Gopichand Sir, Prakash, Saina, Sindhu, Srikanth, and Kashyap were among the singles. However, we had to start from scratch when it came to doubles.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been pioneers. They won a historic gold medal at the Asian Games and became India's first World No. 1 doubles team. In addition, Satwik is the male badminton player with the fastest smash in the Guinness World Record. Their names are full of firsts.Demoralising them now runs the risk of endangering some of India's greatest medal prospects down the road.