Guwahati: The Indian men’s badminton team created history by lifting the Thomas Cup title for the first time with a dominant 3-0 win over 14-time champions Indonesia in the final in Bangkok on Sunday.
India dished out a performance for the ages with World Championships medallist Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, and the world number 8 doubles duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy producing memorable performances.
After being off-colour in the knockout stages, Sen gave India a 1-0 lead with a come-from-behind 8-21 21-17 21-16 win over world number five Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in a superb show of temperament and skill.
The doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then saved four match points in the second game to eventually outwit Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 18-21 23-21 21-19.
In the second singles, Srikanth then produced a fine performance to outclass Asian games gold medallist Jonatan Christie 21-15 23-21 in 48 minutes to seal the contest.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated the team and said that the win will motivate many.
“The Indian badminton team has scripted history! The entire nation is elated by India winning the Thomas Cup! Congratulations to our accomplished team and best wishes to them for their future endeavours. This win will motivate so many upcoming sportspersons,” wrote PM Modi on Twitter.
The Indian badminton team has scripted history! The entire nation is elated by India winning the Thomas Cup! Congratulations to our accomplished team and best wishes to them for their future endeavours. This win will motivate so many upcoming sportspersons.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 15, 2022
