BANGKOK: Apart from cricket, Indian players are now flying victory flags in other sports as well. Whether it is tennis or wrestling or other Olympic sports, Indian athletes are making a name for themselves internationally with their outstanding performances. The Indian badminton team has won a gold medal in the final of the Thomas Cup (Badminton World Cup) at Impact Arena in Bangkok. India have beaten 19-time champions Indonesia 3-0 in the title match. For the first time in the 6-year history of the tournament, India reached the final of the Thomas Cup. India won the match 3-0 in the Best of 3 format. India won the second singles after singles and doubles in which Kidambi Srikkanth defeated Jonathan Christie 21-16, 6-21.
After winning the Thomas Cup, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi had a special talk with the players of the team and wished them a historic victory. Team player Pranay shared a post about this. Following this victory, the Union Ministry of Sports gave Rs. 1 crore prize announced. This is the first time that the Ministry of Sports has announced a prize for winning a badminton tournament other than the Olympic, Asian and Commonwealth Games.
After winning the singles in the second match of the first final, they won the doubles match. The Indian pair of Chirag Shetty and Satvik Sairaj Rankireddy lost the first game and won the second and third games.
So far, the Thomas Cup has been held three times and only five countries have emerged winners. India has become the sixth country to win this tournament. Indonesia is the most successful team in the Thomas Cup. He has won the title 17 times so far. The Chinese team, which has been participating in the tournament since 19, has won 10 and Malaysia five titles. Both Japan and Denmark have one title each. The Thomas Cup has always been won by Asian nations. Denmark were the first non-Asian team to win the title in 2012.
In the first singles, Lakshya Sen won the first singles match by defeating Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 6-21, 21-12, 21-16. After losing the first game, Lakshya Sen won the back-to-back two games and turned the tide. In the first game of doubles, Chirag Shetty and Satvik lost. Then cameback in the second game and defeated the pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjay. After winning the third game 21-12, this match made a name for itself.
India’s journey to the final of the Thomas Cup was fantastic. The Indian team suffered its only defeat in the group stage match against Chinese Taipei in the final. The Indian team defeated Germany 3-0 and Canada 3-0 in the group stage match. At the same time, it lost 6-3 to Chinese Taipei. India beat five-time winners Malaysia in the quarter-finals and beat a five-time finalists like Denmark in the semi-finals. Also, Denmark is the winning team of 2018.
Veteran Kidambi Srikkanth puts the mark of victory on the forehead of India. World no. When Srikkanth landed on the court, he was responsible for one more singles victory. At that time, India had a 2-0 lead. The left-handed shuttler defeated Jonathan Christie, ranked higher than himself, 21-13, 6-21 in a straight game.
