India, Aug. 6 -- Ashwini Ponnappa, India's doubles badminton player, lashed out at the legendary Prakash Padukone for his strict comments on India shuttler Lakshya Sen's missing out on a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. Lakshya, who became the first Indian male shuttler to reach the semi-finals in badminton at the Games, lost to defending champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in straight games despite being miles ahead in both of them at one stage.Even in the bronze medal match against Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia, Lakshya again squandered a sizeable lead in the second game, failing to close out the match. Jia won the decider to take the bronze medal in men's singles 13-21, 21-16, 21-11 while Lakshya, the 22-year-old Indian, was left licking his wounds.Disappointed by the loss, his mentor Padukone said it's high time that players learn to withstand pressure, take responsibility, and deliver results after receiving significant support from the government. Padukone's comments did not go down well with Ponappa, who decided to retire from the Olympics after failing to win a single match with her partner Tanisha Crasto in the women's doubles event in Paris."Disappointing to see this. If a player wins, everyone jumps on the bandwagon to take credit, and if they lose, it's just the player's fault?!" Ponnappa wrote in an Instagram story."Why aren't coaches held responsible for lack of preparation and getting the player ready? They are the first ones to take credit for wins; why not take responsibility for their players' losses as well?"At the end of the day, winning takes team effort and losing is also the team's responsibility. You can't suddenly push the player under the bus and blame it all on the player."A lot was expected form India's badminton contingent. This was the first time in four editions of the quadrennial event that Indian returned empty-handed in badminton. In 2012, Sania Mirza won bronze in women's singles, and in Rio (2016) and in Tokyo (2021), PV Sindhu won silver and bronze, respectively. This time, however, the shuttlers failed to add to India's medal tally.

Top seeds in men's doubles Satwiksairaj Rakireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a shock exit from the quarterfinals while PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy failed to advance beyond round of 16 in women's and men's singles.In a stern message to Sen and other Indian Olympians, Padukone had said: "We cannot remain satisfied just having one player. We need to focus on the next line, maybe even the third line."And a little bit of effort from the players also. A little more responsibility, a little more accountability. Not just ask for whatever you ask for. Once you are given that, you also have to be accountable. I think the players have to learn to take responsibility."Women's doubles exponent Jwala Gutta, who won a world championship bronze with Ponnappa, supported Padukone's stance."Yes, players can also take responsibilities...why not?" she shared in an Instagram post."Players, when they win, get all the riches...do they share it with their coach or staff? If a coach is saying that the players also need to take responsibility after reaching a certain stage in a tournament, the player should be held responsible as well."Star badminton couple Parupalli Kashyap and Saina Nehwal felt that while criticism is important, one can't question the commitment of the athletes."There will be a lot of tough questions asked of our Indian Olympic contingent, and rightfully so, once the games are over in a few days' time. Yet again, we have flattered to deceive. Yet again, we have failed when it mattered the most," Saina and Kashyap shared in a post on Instagram.The duo conceded that "not too many fingers" can be pointed at the National Sports Federations right now."...especially if you look at the high-profile sports like shooting, badminton, and boxing," they said. "And while it's our right to ask and criticise, one thing we cannot and should not do is question the commitment of all 117 athletes representing our country. All of them have shed blood, sweat, and tears to get to the Olympics.

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