What was intended as a routine question to Manu Bhaker quickly snowballed into a major online controversy, sparking debate around the treatment of non-cricket athletes in India. Bhaker, a trailblazer in Indian shooting and the first woman shooter from the country to win an Olympic medal, was attending the 75th anniversary celebrations of the National Rifle Association of India when the incident occurred.
During a media interaction on the sidelines of the event, Manu Bhaker—who secured two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics—was unexpectedly asked about young cricket sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The question raised eyebrows, given the context of the event and Bhaker’s own historic achievements in shooting.
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Maintaining her composure, Manu Bhaker responded thoughtfully, highlighting the importance of mentorship and environment in shaping a young athlete’s career. She emphasised that talent has no age barrier and that proper guidance could help Sooryavanshi reach great heights in the future. Her measured response reflected both maturity and perspective, despite the misplaced query.
VIDEO | India’s double Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker says, “With the right mentorship, Vaibhav (Sooryavanshi) can be the next big star of Indian cricket.”
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/UZwA8iZwSk
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 27, 2026
However, the reaction on social media was far from calm. Fans and observers criticised the line of questioning, arguing that it undermined Bhaker’s stature and shifted focus away from her accomplishments. Many pointed out that such moments highlight the overwhelming dominance of cricket in India, often at the expense of other sports.
Why is she being asked about Vaibhav & Cricket? Our media in every segment is utter waste. She is our ace shooter and these morons went to ask questions related to Cricjet as if we don’t discuss cricket enough. We won’t excel in any other sport compared to cricket.
— Arnab Biswas (@ArnabBi95927148) April 27, 2026
Braindead media questioning an Olympic medalist about a 15 year old from another sport. Atleast pretend you’re vaguely interested in her/her sport if you’re going to use her for clicks instead of shoehorning cricket into every single conversation
— PK (@wazza_pk) April 27, 2026
Media is asking opinion to olympic medalist about a cricketer but never ask to any cricketer about other sport person
— Imme (@B_mohn_) April 27, 2026
I deeply wish cricket to die in India because that’s when other sports will gain respect and popularity.
P:S: I myself is a fan of cricket but can’t see other sports dying because of it.— Unknown (@SamikDasgupta4) April 27, 2026
India and its obsession with cricket is just absurd.
She herself is brilliant talent ask her what tournament she is upto.
She being a brilliant talent herself since childhood.
Two Olympic medals with almost army level trained shooters,there she won medals.— romit (@romit8) April 27, 2026
Next time please ask vaibhav what he thinks about many bhaker’s stellar achievements.
— sudeep desai (@sudeepdesai2) April 27, 2026
Next time please ask vaibhav what he thinks about many bhaker’s stellar achievements.
— sudeep desai (@sudeepdesai2) April 27, 2026
The episode reignited a familiar debate about sporting priorities in the country. While Sooryavanshi’s rise in cricket has been impressive, critics felt that bringing his name into a conversation with an Olympic medalist at a shooting event was unnecessary and disrespectful.
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For many, the incident served as a reminder of the imbalance in attention given to different sports. Manu Bhaker’s achievements have rewritten history for Indian shooting, and yet, moments like these continue to underline how cricket often overshadows other disciplines.
