Who could have thought the underdogs- first-time finalists- will outplay the heavyweights of the tournament in three straight matches? No one. But this magic happened today at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. And the magicians are none other than the Indian Badminton Team. India won the Thomas Cup for the first time in the history of 73 years beating Indonesia 3-0.
After back to back historical days of 12th and 13th May, the first-time finalists in India were up against the 14-time gold medalists in Indonesia. No one gave them a single chance of winning. But the Indian boys were in a different mindset altogether. After all, they had nothing to lose and everything to gain. They believed in themselves and now they have the whole world standing & applauding for them.
The first match was between world no. 5 A Ginting and Lakshya Sen who ranks at 9 in the world rankings. The Indonesian Shutler was pumped up after crushing the Indian youngster in the first game by 21-8. But Sen made a marvellous comeback in the 2nd & 3rd game to give a perfect start to the Indian Team. Sen won the match 8-21, 21-17 and 21-16. This match made the tie score look 1-0 in favour of India.
The second match was no less than a perfect thriller. The 2nd ranked pair of Ahsan & Sukamuljo were up against the newbies of the International level, S. Rankireddy & C. Shetty. The Indian duo felt the pressure in the first game but still gave them a tough fight. Losing the first game 18-21 and then coming back to win the second game 23-21 showed the high spirits of the boys. It was the showdown time and the Indian boys left no stone unturned. They won the dramatic match 18-21, 23-21 and 21-19. The tie score then was 2-0 and India was one win away from scripting the history.
All eyes were now on K Srikanth, the unbeaten player in the tournament. The Indian Senior then took the charge on his own. He set the court on fire by winning 2 straight games 21-15, and 23-21. That fiery smash down the court by Srikanth became the moment of history. Hero of quarterfinals and semifinals, HS Prannoy wasn’t needed today, and neither was the duo of MR Arjun & D Kapila. Sen, Srikanth, Satwik & Chirag took the responsibility today to finish it off.
This victory will echo down for the ages in the history of Indian Badminton. Indian boys have made the statement to the world, that they are no more just mere participants rather they are here to win. The country which is busy enjoying the IPL is forced to turn its attention toward the Badminton world. Every countryman is proud of what happened today. Badminton will no longer be just looked at as a mere game in the country. This victory will bring a revolution to Indian Sports. Congratulations to India.