India, Sports

INDIA CREATES HISTORY, WINS THOMAS CUP AFTER A WAIT OF 73 YEARS!

May 18, 2022May 18, 2022By The Lion
0 0
INDIA CREATES HISTORY, WINS THOMAS CUP AFTER A WAIT OF 73 YEARS!

On a dream run, first-time finalists India tamed 14-time champions Indonesia in a thriller to become the champions of the Thomas Cup 2022 and claimed gold to create history for Indian badminton.

Indian men’s badminton team created history when they upset 14-time champions and holders Indonesia 3-0 to clinch their first-ever Thomas Cup title in Bangkok on May 15.

 

 

The underdogs, who had not reached the last four stage of this prestigious tournament since 1979, had assured themselves of a medal by beating Malaysia on May 12 and then got the better of Denmark in the semi finals.

India dished out a performance for the ages with World Championships medallist Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and world number 8 doubles duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy producing memorable performances.

After being off colour in the knockout stages, Lakshya Sen delivered when it mattered the most as he 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.

India Open champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty saved four match points in the second game before defeating Mohammed Ahsan and Kevin Sukamaljo 18-21, 23-21, 21-19 to make it 2-0 in India’s favour.

In the second singles, Kidambi 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.

Congratulating team India PM Narendra Modi said that the win will motivate many upcoming sportspersons of the country.

 

“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,” tweeted Modi

Chief Minister of Assam and president of Badminton Association of India, Himanta Biswa Sarma also congratulated the team.

“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.

 

WHY THE THOMAS CUP WIN MATTER SO MUCH TO INDIA

When success comes late, you value it more. And who knows it better than the Indian men’s badminton team, which scripted history in Bangkok on May 15, 2022. The team won its maiden Thomas Cup title or Badminton World Men’s Team Championship for the first time in 73 years. Ever since the tournament began in 1948, it has been dominated by Indonesia (14 times winner) and China (10-time winner).

 

Indian National Badminton Coach and former player, Pulella Gopichand says that this win was even bigger than India’s cricket World Cup in 1983. “I think this win is a bigger one. Winning Thomas Cup, where strong teams from Denmark, China and Indonesia played, winning the tournament was big. If you would have told anyone 2-3 years ago about India winning the cup, you would be laughed at,” Gopichand said after the tournament win.

 

Thanks for reading the article. Your comments are solicited. Please feel free to share the article. If you’re looking for more news  CLICK HERE!

Post Views: 414

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.