The Indian men’s badminton team has achieved a major milestone by winning the prestigious Thomas Cup for the first time.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that their win will motivate many upcoming sportspersons.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said: A momentous day for the Indian Badminton team that will be etched in the annals of our sport’s history.”
Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has announced a cash award of Rs 1 crore to the Indian men’s badminton team which created history by winning the coveted Thomas Cup title for the first time.
India scripted history by ending the 73-year-long wait to bring home the biggest team championship crown– the “Thomas Uber Cup 2022”.
Indian men successfully defeated 14-time Champions Indonesia in the final at the Impact Arena in Bangkok on Sunday.
It may be mentioned that not many gave India a chance to win the team tournament that had previously been won by only five nations.
However, the team, spearheaded by Kidambi Srikanth, rallied against the odds and beat the 5-time champions Malaysia, former champions Denmark in the quarter-final and semi-final before snatching the most successful team in the history of the tournament in the final.
Led by Lakshya Sen’s incredible victory against Anthony Ginting, India won three straight games against players who were ranked much higher than them in the world badminton rankings.
Srikanth smashed his way through the first game, defeating Jonathan Christie 21-15 in a stunning win.
India’s chief badminton coach and former All England champion, Pullela Gopichand highlighted the enormity of India’s Thomas Cup victory, saying it is even bigger than the 1983 Cricket World Cup triumph for Indian badminton.
