Thomas Cup: India creates history in Badminton; defeats 14 times champion Indonesia to win the title
Indian men’s team rewrites Badminton history by winning their first-ever Thomas Cup title. They defeated 14 times champions Indonesia in three straight matches to achieve this feat.
It has to be one of the most significant and most memorable moments in the history of Indian sports. India, the first-time finalist, managed to have the upper hand over Indonesia.
Lakshya Sen’s single victory
The finals didn’t start well for India as Lakshya Sen lost his first set against Ginting in a singles match. However, he came back strong in the game to get a comprehensive victory by winning two straight sets. After losing the first set 8-21, he won the remaining two by 21-17 and 21-16.
The Duo’s redemption
The second match, which was a doubles game, had the same start. Indian doubles team Chirag Shetty & Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy took on Indonesian duo Ahsan and Sukamuljo for a violent game.
The Indian duo lost their first game 18-21 and then made a remarkable comeback to win the game in two straight sets. They defeated Ahsan and Skamuljo, 23-21 and 21-19, to win the second match for India.
Kidambi seals the title
The third game was the title on the line for India. Having already won the first two matches, they needed a victory to seal the deal. And Kidambi provided them just that.
Unlike his previous teammates, Kidambi didn’t lose his first set. Rather, he stamped his authority by defeating Christie 21-15 in the first set. This set the stage for a grand finale in the second set.
Indonesia required their shuttler to win this set to keep their hopes of a comeback alive. Kidambi was not going to let that happen, though, and he won the close-set by 23-21 to seal the victory for India.
This 3-0 victory will be remembered for decades to come. And Indians will be hoping to replicate this victory in other sports in the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
