India beat 14-time Thomas Cup champions Indonesia 3-0 to win the men’s team badminton event for the first time. Kidambi Srikanth beat Jonatan Christie in the men’s singles.
Kidambi Srikanth (far right) is hugged by HS Prannoy as a coaching staff and Chirag Shetty (far left) runs towards them after Thomas Cup 2022 win in Bangkok on Sunday. AP
Kidambi Srikanth is flying high after the India men’s badminton team clinched their maiden Thomas Cup by defeating Indonesia 3-0 in the final. Srikanth, Lakshya Sen and doubles duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, made the nation proud when they won against 14-time tournament champions Indonesia.
After this historic victory, Srikanth took to social media to express his joy over the victory. The ace shuttler, who led the Indian side in the tournament, also thanked the support staff, his team members and fans of the side for all their efforts.
Assuring that victory won’t be the last for his side, the 29-year-old stated that the journey to the cup was “nothing short of a once in a lifetime experience”. The former World No 1 mentioned that this victory will remain closest to his heart.
The ace shuttler also thanked his teammates for choosing him as their captain. Admitting that he learnt more than he led this team, Srikanth added that he knows that “the next generation is in safe hands and leadership like we were”.
Kidambi Srikanth won all six matches in the Thomas Cup this year. The shuttler beat Jonatan Christie 21-15, 23-21 in the final. He is currently ranked 11 in the BWF World Rankings.
Apart from Srikanth’s win, Lakshya Sen emerged victorious against Anthony Ginting 8-21, 21-17, 21-16. Doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty saved four match points to triumph 18-21, 23-21, 21-19 against Mohammad Ahsan – Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo.
The Indian Sports fraternity heaped congratulations on Srikanth and the rest of the team after their historic achievement. Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has announced a reward of Rs 1 crore for the team. Badminton Association of India, too, announced a monetary prize for the contingent.
The Indian men’s team had reached the semi-finals of the tournament in 1952, 1955 and 1979 previously. The team beat Malaysia in the quarterfinals and Denmark in the semis to enter the final round of the competition. With their incredible feat, India became only the sixth nation to lift the coveted trophy.
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