India demolishes Indonesia, scripts history in golden letters
India’s men’s badminton team pulled off a major upset by crushing 14-time champion Indonesia 3-0 in the final on Sunday to win its maiden Thomas Cup title
Lakshya Sen set the tone for the first-time finalists when he stunned Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the first singles.
Resilience
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy combined with Chirag Shetty for a similar come-from-behind victory over Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in the first doubles.
K. Srikanth tamed Jonatan Christie 21-15, 23-21 in the second singles as India became only the sixth nation to win the coveted trophy.
After a 48-minute slugfest, Srikanth leapt to drill a crosscourt smash to Christie’s left.
The importance of his win was not lost on the 29-year-old who dropped his racket and let out a roar before being mobbed by his teammates who invaded the court.
India proved its knockout stage victories over five-time champion Malaysia and 2016 winner Denmark were no fluke as it produced another courageous display against the badminton powerhouse.
Great fight
Lakshya typified that fight in his 8-21, 21-17, 21-16 victory against Ginting.
The 20-year-old was outplayed in the first game but he won the second and overcame a 7-11 deficit in the decider to prevail.
The first doubles match followed a similar script with Satwik and Chirag losing the first game.
They saved four match-points in the second to roar back and prevailed 18-21, 23-21, 21-19.
Srikanth kept it simple by winning the first game in 19 minutes.
Christie put up more resistance in the second game but Srikanth’s reflexes at the net and calculated aggression ensured India won the final without dropping a match.
PM’s congratulations
The victory sparked celebration back home with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the tributes.
“The Indian badminton team has scripted history! The entire nation is elated by India winning the Thomas Cup...” tweeted the Prime Minister.
Cash rewards
The Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, while congratulating the squad, announced a cash award of ₹1 crore for the victorious team.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) president Himanta Biswa Sarma also announced a reward of ₹1 crore for the winning squad. Sarma also announced an award of ₹20 lakh for the support staff.
The results:
India bt Indonesia 3-0
[Lakshya Sen bt Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 8-21, 21-17, 21-16; Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty bt Mohammad Ahsan & Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 18-21, 23-21, 21-19; K. Srikanth bt Jonatan Christie 21-15, 23-21].
