History! India win first Thomas Cup title by defeating Indonesia 3-0
Lakshya Sen beat Antony Ginting 8-21, 21-17, 21-16
Satwik-Chirag beat Ahsan-Sukamuljo 18-21, 23-21, 21-19
Kidambi Srikanth beat Jonatan Christie 21-15, 23-22
It is a Super Sunday for Indian sport! The Indian men’s badminton team have created history and with some panache, destroying the Indonesian challenge in the final of the Thomas Cup in Thailand.
India defeated the 14-time winners and 2021 champions 3-0 to clinch their maiden title at the first attempt in the tournament. Indonesia are in fact the most decorated country in the Thomas Cup. Indian men had previously reached the Thomas Cup semis in 1952, 1955, and 1979. India is only the sixth country to win the Thomas Cup.
Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Kidambi Srikhanth all won their matches to ensure the gold medal was going back home with India. Srikanth remained unbeaten through the course of the tournament.
Lakshya Sen vs Anthony Ginting
The big final got underway with a cracking singles contest as two top shuttlers brought out the best in each other. The young Sen put in a strong performance to get India off to a great start in their first final of the Thomas Cup. Lakshya won the tie 8-21, 21-17, 21-16.
Ginting, the World No. 5, was fast, accurate and extremely dangerous and enjoyed a twelve-point run, to claim the opening game in just 17 minutes. The momentum was with Ginting, who was playing on the more favourable side of the court, playing against the drift, and brimming with confidence but India's top-ranked Sen responded well and upped his pace and attack to win the second game.
The start of the third game saw Ginting get off to a better start, but this time around Sen did not allow the Indonesian to run away with the game. The 20-year-old kept himself within striking distance, and was able to close the gap and draw level with Ginting 12-12.
The Indian star struck back with his own arsenal of shots which had the Indonesian struggling, held his nerves, and eventually pulled off a stunning win over Ginting.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty vs Mohammad Ahsan-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo
India had the momentum in their corner and the duo of Rankireddy and Shetty fought hard, playing some of the most incredible points against Ahsan-Sukamuljo in the second rubber. The Indians won a cliffhanger by the scoreline of 21-18, 21-23, 19-21. The pair save 4 match points in the second, come back from 15-12 in the third, and win the game for India in an hour and 13 minutes.
The Indonesian pairing of Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo got off to the right start and won their opening game 21-18 against India's Rankireddy and Shetty.
The Indian pair led in the opening stages of the second game but Ahsan and Sukamuljo showed their prowess as they clawed level and went on to hold the first match point opportunity. However, Rankireddy and Shetty refused to give in and fought their way back with some extraordinary display of badminton and managed to scrape ahead and win the second game 23-21.
In the decider, the Indians held the upper hand early but Ahsan and Sukamuljo levelled at 11-11 and moved into the lead. But there was nothing separating the two pairs as they drew level again at 17-17.
Rankireddy and Shetty, who survived four match points in the second game, finally had their first match point opportunity but Ahsan smashed the Indonesians to safety. But on the second time of asking the world No. 8 pairing sealed the 21-19 win for India.
The doubles win meant India went 2-0 in the tie, and up next would be the unbeaten Kidambi Srikanth.
Kidambi Srikanth vs Jonatan Christie
With the title within reach, it was up to the experienced Kidambi Srikanth to take India over the line. And Srikanth picked six straight points to take the first game 21-15 against Jonatan Christie, bringing India closer.
A tight second game followed but Srikanth held his nerve to edge his opponent out on the tie breaker to win 23-21 and seal the contest in 48 minutes. The Indonesian produced a remarkable run to take the lead towards the end and even had a game point opportunity. But Kidambi held his nerves.
Srikanth's was the only match in the final that finished in straight games and in less than 60 minutes as well. In this tournament, Srikanth played six matches and won six matches!
BAI Announces Award
Badminton Association of India president Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday announced a total prize money of Rs 1 crore for the Thomas Cup winning squad.
The Indian men's team created history earlier in the day when they defeated defending champions Indonesia 3-0 to become only the sixth nation to lay hands on the coveted Thomas Cup trophy.
Sarma also announced prize money of Rs 20 lakh for the support staff.
"It's a very proud moment for Indian badminton. We have had many individual triumphs but winning the Thomas Cup crown is very special. This shows the depth of talent we have among the men and full credit to the players and coaching staff for giving their ultimate best through this week and beating some of the biggest badminton powerhouses on their way to the title win," said Sarma.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)