Kolkata Knight Riders youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi is facing criticism on social media after making a nasty comment about Saina Nehwal.
The young batsman’s comment came after the legendary badminton player expressed her disappointment over the fact that other sports were not getting as much recognition and support as cricket in the country. The debate over whether cricket gets more attention and support than other sports has resurfaced after the grand welcome that the victorious Indian team received after the T20 World Cup.
Thousands of fans gave the players a warm welcome in Mumbai. After being congratulated by the BCCI, the players were also congratulated by the Chief Ministers of their respective states. And the recent developments have apparently worried Saina Nehwal about the fact that other sports are not getting as much support as cricket. The Olympic medallist also said that other sports are physically tougher than cricket.
“Sometimes I feel bad because cricket gets all the attention. The thing about cricket is that… if you look at badminton, basketball, tennis and other sports, they are very physically demanding.
“You don’t even have time to pick up the shuttle and serve, you’re like… breathing hard. A game like cricket gets so much attention that I personally think skill is more important,” Saina said on Nikhil Simha’s podcast.
“Even if I speak ill of cricket, cricket will be there because everyone loves it. I love it, but other sports need to be given the same attention, otherwise how will India become a sporting nation and how will we compete to beat China and win 60 Olympic medals? No way, it will always be cricket.” added Nehwal, who is the first Indian athlete to win an Olympic medal.
What is your take on the view that cricket is more skill-based and requires less hard work on the field compared to other sports? image.twitter.com/SAQZWWlhvB
— Cricket out of context (@GemsOfCricket) July 12, 2024
Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s response to Saina Nehwal naming Jasprit Bumrah:
Saina Nehwal’s comments sparked a debate on social media and Angkrish Raghuvanshi also decided to weigh in. However, he ended up posting an unpleasant message for the legendary athlete:
“Let’s see how he fares when Bumrah bowls a 150km bumper at his head.”
Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s epic response to Saina Nehwal… image.twitter.com/VnYu8EODg4
— 🇮🇳Kim Jong of Cricket 💤 (@kimjongofcrick) July 12, 2024
Unsurprisingly, the post has not been well received by many and Angkrish Raghuvanshi is facing a backlash on social media. Before the matter could get out of hand, he apologized and clarified that his comments were meant as a joke. He also admitted that he made a mistake by writing:
“I’m really sorry, what I said was a joke. Now that I think about it, I think it was a very immature joke. I acknowledge my mistake and I sincerely apologize.”
I’m sorry, I said it as a joke. Now that I think about it, I think it was a very immature joke. I acknowledge my mistake and I sincerely apologize.
– Angkrish Raghuvanshi (@angkrish10) July 12, 2024