Chirag Shetty, India's star shuttler, who has made the country proud on multiple occasions along with his men's doubles partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy including winning the prestigious Thomas Cup has lashed out at the Maharahstra Government. Shetty said that he does not have anything against the cricketers but he has advocated for the equal treatement of all sports.
"Thomas Cup is equivalent to winning the World Cup. I was part of the Indian badminton team, which won its maiden title, shocking champions Indonesia in the final. I was the only Maharashtra player in the Indian team," Shetty told TOI.
READ HERE | Rohit Sharma Takes Funny Jibe On Suryakumar Yadav's Catch In T20 World Cup 2024, Video Goes Viral
His remark comes after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team members will be given a cash prize of 11 crore. He even felicitated the four Maharashtra players who were part of the winning squad including captain Rohit Sharma as well as members of the support staff which accompanied the team who were from the state.
"When the govt can honour World Cup-winning cricket stars, they should have also recognized my efforts. Government c," Shetty added in the same interview.
Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy First Indian Pair To Become World Number 1 In BWF World Rankings
While the Indian cricketers played their heart out to claim a world title after 11 years, beating South Africa in the final what Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have achieved in badminton is no mean feat either. Other than winning the Thomas Cup, they won the bronze medal at the World Championships 2022 before winning the Asian Games men's doubles gold.
The duo won several other BWF World Tour titles. Their consistency and dominance resulted in them becoming the first pair in the world to become the number 1 in BWF World Rankings.