Unless there’s an intense rivalry involved in a sport, the sport is no fun at all. Be it between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in football; Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne in cricket; Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in tennis; the sports have an amazing feeling to it when such rivalries take center-stage. Another rivalry that has a bittersweet tinge to it is of Saina Nehwal vs PV Sindhu, two superstars of Indian badminton.

Adding another chapter in their hot-and-cold relationship, the star Indian shuttlers had an unusual day on their social media. On February 13, PV Sindhu took to her micro-blogging platform to thank her fans for reaching 1 two-million followers mark on Twitter, it was followed by her compatriot Saina Nehwal thanking her fans after reaching seven-million fans on the micro-blogging site two days later on February 15.

Here's a Look at PV Sindhu's Tweet:

Look at Saina Nehwal’s Sweet Tweet for Her Fans:

This back to back tweets flaunting their fan following has caught the attention of their respective fan bases. After all, it is no surprise that they share a cold relationship that was highlighted recently when Sindhu was quoted saying, “We’re friends; like “Hi”, “Bye”... and that’s it. There’s no real time to sit and talk.” Cold, very cold!

The dashing Badminton duo has played only a few matches against each other. Both, Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu have gone head-to-head on four occasions, with the senior-pro Nehwal leading 3-1 and it seems that their rivalry is already seeing its heydays.

Their playing styles differ too. While Sindhu seems to be more aggressive, Nehwal is calmer with her temperament between the two. Sindhu has a marginally higher reach than Nehwal; however, Nehwal’s experience when pitched against Sindhu, becomes too hot for her to handle.

The star Indian duo has won accolades around the globe and has accomplished achievements in Badminton, not many women athletes in the country has. On one hand where Saina Nehwal is the former no. 1 player and an Olympic Bronze medallist, PV Sindhu is no less than her senior contemporary either. Sindhu is currently the third-ranked player in the world now and is the only Indian player to reach the Olympics’ Badminton final.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 15, 2018 02:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).