India wins maiden Thomas Cup title after defeating Indonesia in final

The Indian players were in their top form in the final match.

The Indian badminton team made history after defeating Indonesia to win their first-ever Thomas Cup title in the 2022 edition. India had their work cut out for them against heavy favourites and defending champions Indonesia in the final, but showed immense character to lift the trophy.

India had defeated Malaysia and Denmark in the knockout rounds to get all the way to the final, ensuring at least the silver medal. They did one better by defeating the odds to make history by clinching the title.

Strong start to the day

The Indian team gained control from the first minute itself, catching the Indonesian shuttlers off their guard early on. Lakshya Sen faced off against World No. 5 Anthony Ginting in the first match of the Thomas Cup and raised their confidence levels with a brilliant showing.

Sen started things off a bit shakily, with Ginting proving his quality by pushing him on his back foot from the get-go. The Indonesian shuttler won the first game 21-8, piling pressure on his opponent. But Lakshya displayed an incredible personality to turn things around after that.

He fought hard to win the second game 21-17, setting up a grand finale. Sen would go on to force Ginting into errors and stun him by clinching the final game, winning the first match 8-21, 21-17, 21-16 to give his team an early advantage.

In the second match of the final, the duo of Satwiksairaj Reddy and Chirag Shetty faced Indonesian doubles partners Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sukamuljo. Almost like the repeat of the last match, the Indonesian duo took the early advantage in this one by outwitting the Indian opposition and winning the first game 21-18.

But just like Sen, Reddy and Shetty also showcased impressive character to mount another comeback. They won the second and third games in a compelling fashion to win the match 18-21, 23-21, 21-19 to help India get a shocking 2-0 lead in the final.

Kidambi finishes the job to make history

After seeing his teammates win the first two matches of the Thomas Cup, it was all on Srikanth Kidambi to finish the job against World No. 8 Jonatan Christie. But unlike the last two matches, Kidambi never allowed him to lose control of his match-up at any point.

The Indian shuttler started off brilliantly, forcing the under-pressure Indonesian shuttler to lose his focus and concentration. Kidambi won the first game 21-15, ensuring that his opponent lost the belief of any comeback.

Srikanth continued his excellent work to fend off some late pressure from Christie, clinching the second game 23-21 to win the third match and seal the title for India. This marks India’s first-ever Thomas Cup in their first-ever participation in a final, as they now tie Denmark and Japan’s tally of one Thomas Cup title each.

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