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The Indian men’s badminton team made history by becoming the first team to win the Thomas Cup. India defeated 14-time champion Indonesia 3-0 in the final, shocking them 3-0 for the first time in the event’s 72-year history, sending the entire nation into jubilation.
The badminton championship tournament, which was modeled after the World Cup in football and the Davis Cup in tennis, is named after an English player from the 1900s George Alan Thomas.
Only 13 of the event’s 32 editions have seen India qualify since it started in 1948. Only five countries—China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, and Denmark—have held the tournament’s championship during its seven-decade history.
India became just the sixth nation to join this exclusive club.
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On May 15, the Indian men’s badminton team won their first-ever Thomas Cup gold by defeating Indonesia 3-0 with the help of Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, and the doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
Sen gave India a 1-0 lead after coming from behind to defeat world number five Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 8-21 21-17 21-16 in a magnificent display of fortitude and talent. Sen had struggled in the knockout rounds.
After saving four match points in the second game, the doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 18-21 23-21 21-19.
Kidambi Srikanth, the former world number one and unbeaten all week, was left to perform the final act. With gif-worthy reflex returns, trademark smash, and a final cross-court smash that will appear in highlight reels in future years, Srikanth had the game of his life in this final.
In the second singles, Srikanth defeated Jonatan Christie, who won the gold medal at the Asian Games, 21-15, 23-21, to win the match in 48 minutes.
In its more than 70-year history, no Indian team has ever advanced to the Thomas and Uber Cup final. In 1952, 1955, and 1979, Indian men advanced to the semifinals of the Thomas Cup, and in 2014 and 2016, the women’s team finished in the top four of the Uber Cup.
The glass ceiling was broken by an incredible Thomas Cup victory, and India experienced incredible success at the Commonwealth Games as it made strides toward dominating the sport in 2022.
Indian badminton was not just defined by Sindhu’s sensational performance this year; the men’s players also put on a number of gut-wrenching displays to not only win individual accolades but also upset China and Indonesia at the Thomas Cup in Bangkok.
Satwik and Chirag had their most successful year ever with two World Tour titles, CWG gold, and the first-ever world championship bronze, while Sen won his first Super 500 title and took home the CWG gold in addition to two final finishes.
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