Veteran Badminton player Saina Nehwal believes cricket gets a bit too much importance in India and that other sports also need to come up, with the Paris Olympics looming. The 34-year-old reckons India cannot compete with nations like China if the concentration is only on one sport.
While Hockey is officially a national sport, cricket seems to be the most followed sport of all, with names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya becoming household ones. The investment on cricket is massive in India and the reward they get is equally handsome.
"Even if I say bad things about cricket, cricket will be there, because it is loved by everyone" - Saina Nehwal
Speaking on the Nikhil Simha podcast, Nehwal admits that cricket gets attention because the skill required is quite important and slightly more than other sports. However, she feels India must invest on other sports to compete well on the global stage.
"Sometimes, I feel bad that cricket gets all the attention. The thing about cricket is... if you see badminton, basketball, tennis, and other sports are so tough physically. You don't even have time to pick up the shuttle and serve, you are like... you are breathing so hard. A game like cricket gets so much of attention where I personally believe skill is more important."
"Even if I say bad things about cricket, cricket will be there, because it is loved by everyone. I love it, but you have to also give that kind of attention to other sports, otherwise, how will India become a sporting nation and how will we compete to beat China to win 60 Olympic medals? There's no way, it will always be cricket.
