‘This one’s for India’

India’s Kidambi Srikanth acknowledges the crowd after beating Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 21-15, 23-21. Pics/AFP

For a team whose top seed was down with food poisoning while another singles player had a hurt ankle, the Indian men's badminton team have achieved the unbelievable by winning their maiden Thomas Cup, beating the mighty Indonesia 3-0 here on Sunday. Dishing out a performance for the ages, the men won Indian badminton's first ever gold in the prestigious competition's 70-plus year history after Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and doubles players Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy stunned 14-time champions Indonesia.

India's Lakshya Sen falls to the ground after beating Indonesia's Anthony Ginting 8-21, 21-17, 21-16 in the Thomas Cup final at Bangkok on Sunday

After being off-colour in the knockout stages, Sen handed India a 1-0 lead with a come-from-behind 8-21, 21-17, 21-16 win over World No.5 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in a superb show of temperament and skill. After being off-colour against Malaysia and Denmark in the quarter-finals and the semi-final respectively, Sen was on fire delivered against Ginting, and coach Vimal revealed that the Indian was down with food poisoning on his arrival here: "Lakshya ate something at Bangalore airport and the whole flight he was sick. We forced him to play against Germany and after that he was given rest, but we had to field him so it was tough for him. I'm proud of what he did today."

After Sen's win, India's best doubles pair of Rankireddy and Shetty then showed nerves of steel as they saved four match points in the second game to eventually outwit Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 18-21, 23-21, 21-19. In the second singles then, Srikanth outclassed Asian Games gold medallist Jonatan Christie 21-15, 23-21 in 48 minutes to seal the win.

India's men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (left) and Chirag Shetty are ecstatic after their 18-21, 23-21, 21-19 win over Indonesia's Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo

Former World No.1 Srikanth said that there can be no greater motivation than playing for the national flag. "We hardly get to play team events so events like the Thomas Cup or Asian Games are special. In individual events, people will say Srikanth has won or Prannoy has won, but when you win this, everyone says India has won. So this win is for the country. The biggest motivating factor for us is that we have won this for our country," said Srikanth.

HS Prannoy, who hurt his ankle during his semi-final win over Denmark's Rasmus Gemke, credited the team's bonding: "We knew that this [team event] is not something common between us as we always play individual events throughout the year. So, in our first team meeting in Hyderabad, we said that can challenge for the title, but we have to help and support each other. I'm glad we did just that."

India@Thomas Cup 2022 in Bangkok

>> Squad: Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy, P Rajawat, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, MR Arjun, Dhruv Kapila, KP Garaga, VG Panjala.
>> Beat Germany 5-0
>> Beat Canada 5-0
>> Lost to Taipei 2-3
>> Q/F: Beat Malaysia 3-2
>> S/F: Beat Denmark 3-2
>> Final: Beat Indonesia 3-0

Rs 1 cr
Cash award announced by India's sports ministry for the Thomas Cup-winning men's badminton team