The Indian men’s badminton team performed on Sunday, defeating 14-time champions Indonesia and winning gold for the first time in the Thomas Cup.
From Lakshya Sen to Kidambi Srikanth, every player delivered on the biggest day of their lives, as India won the top showdown in only three sets. Messages of congratulations flooded in from all across the globe.
Sunil Gavaskar, a former cricket captain, praised the team for winning the Thomas Cup for the first time.
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Gavaskar also said that badminton might be experiencing its “1983” moment. For the uninitiated, India won the Cricket World Cup for the first time in 1983, and the country’s love for the sport has grown exponentially since then.
Gavaskar stated before the game between the Lucknow Super Giants and the Rajasthan Royals on Star Sports: “The news of Symonds’ death made for a sad morning. As the day progressed, more positive news arrived. The Indian Thomas Cup team won the badminton championship, which is equivalent to the global title, for the first time, defeating Indonesia, who had been the reigning champions for 14 years. Defeated them, I’ll tell you what, I’m overjoyed; I adore badminton. If I had to pick between watching a T20 cricket match and badminton, I’d choose badminton every time.”
“I believe it is an extremely difficult and demanding game, requiring a great deal of energy, anticipation, reflexes, etc. I used to play a little bit to aid with my slip-catching reflexes, which are required while going for the shuttle on the backhand or forehand sides. So that was the goal, not so much for endurance or anything else. So that’s why I played; mind you, I used to play doubles. For the singles, I lacked the legs and lungs. “He continued, ”
Gavaskar elaborated on the victory, saying: “I believe this is such a special day for badminton that it may be the 1983 moment for the sport when no one expected us to win. I’m not saying no one anticipated India to win since they had established a fantastic badminton team in the previous two years. Still, they faced 14-time winners in Indonesia, so there was some skepticism. As I previously said, I am ecstatic about the sun and the moon. I have control over every planet. Good job, gentlemen.”
In the final between India and Indonesia, Lakshya Sen gave India a 1-0 lead after defeating Anthony Ginting of Indonesia in the opening match. India took a 2-0 lead as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty fought back from a game down to defeat Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 18-21, 23-21, 21-19.
Kidambi Srikanth defeated Jonatan Christie 21-15 and 23-21 in the third round of the final. India made history on Sunday in front of a sold-out Impact Arena in Bangkok.
