History made: India Men’s Badminton team wins first ever Gold in Thomas Cup

Sunday will forever be etched in history of Indian sports. India men’s badminton team has defeated 14-time champions and holders of the Thomas cup, Indonesia in the finals on Sunday. This is the maiden gold for Indian men’s team, defeating the world champion Indonesia by 3-0 in a stunning performance.

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The Performers

The winning streak started with 20 year old Lakshya Sen defeating Anthony Ginting, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist. After that doubles team Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty helped India gain a lead of 2-0 by beating Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo by 18-21, 23-21, 21-19.

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The lead was then concluded with win registered by Kidambi Srikanth who defeated Jonatan Christie by 21-15, 23-21, bringing home the historic win.

“Finest team to represent India”

As the congratulations pour in for historic win, badminton veteran player Prakash Padukone praised the great performances. “It is an unforgettable red letter day for Indian badminton. We have now truly arrived on the big scene. It was a brilliant team effort on the whole. The performance of this team is not a flash in the pan, they have worked very hard for it. It is no small feat to beat Malaysia, Denmark and Indonesia in a week. Earlier, due to various factors like injuries and non-availability of players, we were unable to field the best team, but this was the finest team to represent India,” said Padukone.

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Prakash Padukone had spearheaded the Indian team that reached the Thomas Cup’s semi finals 43 years ago.

Greatest moment for India sports

Former badminton star Pullela Gopichand said while talking to NDTV post the historic win, “I think this a great moment for India and Indian sports. India winning the Thomas Cup is not just big for India but for badminton world.” Stressing on the magnitude of win, Gopichand said, “It cannot get bigger than this. For us to have a young team and do well and go out and just win is very, very big.”