'We pulled it off' - India win Thomas Cup

BANGKOK • India made history yesterday by winning the Thomas Cup for the first time with a ruthless 3-0 upset of reigning champions Indonesia in Bangkok.

The Indians had been on a roll, having beaten Malaysia in the quarter-finals and Denmark in the semi-finals, both 3-2, and this was their third big scalp.

Despite competing in their first final of the men's team championship, they showed no nerves, sealing the title when world No. 11 Kidambi Srikanth beat Jonatan Christie 21-15, 23-21.

A devastated Indonesia, the tournament's most successful team with 14 titles, could not keep pace with the fire brought by the Indian team - who joyfully rushed the court following Srikanth's win.

India got off to a superb start when world No. 9 Lakshya Sen delivered the first point against Indonesia in the final at the Impact Arena here. The 20-year-old showed he had recovered from a bout of food poisoning even after a setback in the first game to defeat the fifth-ranked Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 8-21, 21-17, 21-16.

"I arrived here in Bangkok (from the Asian Championships in Manila) with food poisoning. I could hardly walk and was not at my best in previous matches, but to be able to win in a crucial match today is amazing," said Sen.

"I'm so happy to have won the first point. I was nervous at the start but I stayed focused despite the expectations on me."

A subdued Ginting admitted there were things he could have improved on. "I play in a rush today and that's why I made a lot of mistakes," he said.

On paper, India were expected to lose the first doubles, but Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ripped the form book apart when they upstaged Indonesian scratch pair Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 18-21, 23-21, 21-19 in 73 minutes to give the team a fantastic 2-0 lead. Indonesia have the top two doubles pairs in the world.

Even when they were trailing 17-20 in the second game, the Indian pair refused to give up and while the decider was close, they powered their way through for a strong finish.

"I'm just speechless... we have contributed a point in doubles against Indonesia," said Shetty.

"They were favourites but today, we were not in a rush. We kept in the game... We knew we had a chance and we pulled it off," Rankireddy added.

Seasoned campaigner Srikanth then became the hero when he oozed class in his second singles victory over world No. 8 Christie.

The team were immediately feted with congratulations from Indian politicians like Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah and Minister of Law & Justice Kiren Rijiju.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday tweeted: "The Indian badminton team has scripted history! The entire nation is elated by India winning the Thomas Cup!

"This win will motivate so many upcoming sportspersons."

The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports also confirmed via a tweet the team would receive a cash reward of 10,000,000 Indian rupees (S$180,000).

Only six countries have won the Thomas Cup, including China (10 times), Malaysia (five) and Japan and Denmark (once each).

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASIA NEWS NETWORK/THE STAR