Indian badminton team scripted history on Sunday by lifting its first Thomas Cup since its inception in 1949. India defeated record 14-times Thomas Cup champions Indonesia to win the biggest and oldest badminton tournament by 3-0 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
It was also India’s first appearance in the tournament’s final round. Prior to this, the best result delivered by the Indian men’s team in the tournament was their qualification for semi-final rounds in 1952, 1955, and 1979.
Lakshya Sen won the first match of the tie for India by defeating Anthony Ginting 8-21, 21-17, 21-16. Ginting won the first game by 21-8 in just under 17 minutes. However, Sen made a comeback in the second round, winning it 21-17. In the final game, Lakshya Sen then clinched the match by defeating Ginting 21-16 in the decider game.
In the second match of the tie, the Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo got off to the right start after winning their opening match 21-18. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then survived four match points to come back and snatch the win in the second game by scoring two clear points to take the match to 23-21 after a deuce. The Indian pair won the decider 21-19 to clinch the match 18-21, 23-21, 21-19.
In the third match of the tie, India’s Kidambi Srikanth took the opening game against Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 21-15 and clinched the match and final by winning the second game 23-21.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to congratulate the team Indian team. He tweeted, “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.”
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
