‘Cricket Ka Funding…’: Para-Athlete’s Brutal Take On Team India’s Struggles

Para-badminton athlete Manasi Joshi has taken a brutal dig at the Indian cricket team, following its poor run at the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. India had a poor opening day in the fifth Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Opting to bat first, the visitors were bundled out for 185 while Australia scored 9 for 1 at the end of play on Day 1. “Cricket ka thoda funding para sports mein daalo plz. Hum better results dete hai #INDvsAUS,” wrote Manasi Joshi, a former world champion in para badminton women’s singles SL3 category.

Cricket ka thoda funding para sports mein daalo plz. Hum better results dete hai#INDvsAUS

— Manasi Joshi (@joshimanasi11) January 3, 2025

The Indian cricket team is trailing 1-2 in the five-match Test series against Australia. They started the series with a victory in Perth, but went on to lose two of the next three matches. This is a must-win game for India to keep their World Test Championship Final hopes alive.

Talking about India’s para-athletes, they shattered the record books in Paris last year by delivering a performance of a lifetime, redefining the standard and raising the bar in the para-sports that will be seen as the benchmark in the coming years.

The summer of Paris was one to remember for the Indian para-athletes and the entire nation. The magnitude of the success of the para-athletes in Paris echoed from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. In 12 days (August 28 to September 8), India made history by delivering a performance that will be remembered for years to come.

The Indian contingent rewrote record books after enjoying a historic Paralympics campaign in Paris with a record haul of 29 medals, including seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze, finishing in the 18th position.

India surpassed its previous most successful campaign at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, which saw them return with 19 medals, including five golds, eight silvers, and six bronze medals.

(With ANI Inputs)