India reach final to assure silver in historic Thomas Cup run

The Indian team will have the chance to secure gold after beating Denmark in the semis.

Indian badminton sees the creation of yet another historical moment. The men’s team has reached the final of the 2022 Thomas Cup after defeating Denmark in the semi-final. H.S. Prannoy won the deciding match by 13-21, 21-9, 21-12 against his opponent yet again to propel his country into the ultimate fixture with a chance for first-ever gold.

Earlier, India beat Malaysia to secure a historic bronze, their first-ever medal at the prestigious badminton team championship. However, the contingent has gone a step further by ensuring a silver with a possibility of winning gold. Until this edition, only five countries had won gold at the Thomas Cup. If India defeats their opponents in the final, it will enter an elite league of nations. 

The road to the final has been extremely difficult for India. Defeating a powerhouse like Denmark will give the men’s team a huge boost. Here is a look at how India beat Denmark by a 3-2 score in the semis:

The decider

The semi-final saw a very equal contest between India and Denmark. Due to the 2-2 score from earlier matches, all the hopes relied on the final game yet again. There were huge expectations on the shoulders of players from both camps who were looking to send their country into the final of the Thomas Cup. 

The decider saw Prannoy come up against Rasmus Gemke of Denmark. It looked bleak for the Indian shuttler who lost the first game by 13-21 and looked like carrying a knee injury. That was the turning point in the match. He stormed past the Dane and won the next two games by 21-9, 21-12 to secure a final berth for India.

Other matches from the fixture

India’s challenge against Denmark did not start according to plan. One of the best Indian men’s singles players Lakshya Sen came up against the mighty Viktor Axelsen for the opener. The Dane secured a comfortable 21-13, 21-13 victory over the Indian to make the score 1-0 in the favour of his team.

The following doubles tie went India’s way. The pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty beat Kim Astrup and Mathias Christiansen by a 21-18, 21-23, 22-20 scoreline. The match stretched into three games but the Indian duo showed their class, in the end, to tie the score 1-1 in the Thomas Cup quarters final.

It was India’s turn to take an exciting lead in the fixture. Giving his team a 2-1 advantage, Kidambi Srikanth beat Anders Antonsen in three games. He secured the win through a 21-18, 12-21, 21-15 scoreline to give India hope for a place in the final of the Thomas Cup.

However, those hopes ended quickly after Denmark’s win in the second doubles fixture. Indian pair of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala lost their tie by 14-21, 13-21 to the Danish pair of Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Frederik Sogaard. This result took the fixture into the final game - the singles clash between Prannoy H.S. and Rasmus Gemke.

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