After hitting the inside-out winner to the backhand side of Jonatan Christie, Srikanth Kidambi slammed his racket on the court so hard that it bounced back up like a rubber ball. He turned behind and celebrated, pointing to his teammates who soon mobbed him in the middle. A new World Champion was crowned, and India became only the sixth different country to lift the prestigious Thomas Cup since its inception in 1949.
In Chengdu, starting Saturday, the Band of Brothers that triumphed in Bangkok, will begin their campaign to defend that title. It is almost entirely the same set of players who are tasked with that challenge. The group believed they are capable of winning the title much before Bangkok 2022 as the now-famous Whatsapp group ‘It’s coming home!’ was created. A medal seemed possible from the word go, but they defied the odds to go all the way, blanking the most successful side in the history of the tournament in the final.
Now, as champions, they will have a target on their backs. Winning it once was a big deal, defending the title is going to be much tougher in what seems to be a very open race too. Hosts China will go all out, Indonesia will be raring to put 2022 behind them and have players hitting some terrific form, Denmark and Japan will fancy their chances too and watch out for Chinese Taipei, who are capable of doing what India did last time.
India will again be in the mix. Indian badminton found its love for team events at the last Thomas Cup and talent wise, there is no reason to put a repeat past them. Coach Vimal Kumar, who hailed it as the country’s greatest achievement, said that day it was “an achievement of pure team spirit which I haven’t seen in the past.” India have boasted of some star singles players over the last two decades, but to come together in a team event like they did was a sensational achievement. Since then, there have been medals in other team events too like the Asian Games men’s team event and the Badminton Asia Team Championships.
𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞: 2⃣0⃣2⃣2⃣ #ThomasUberCupFinals#ThomasCup 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡
This is how 🇮🇳 sealed their first-ever triumph in the competition. 👏 pic.twitter.com/tEqdDkAeGp
— BWF (@bwfmedia) April 26, 2024
While the personnel India will be employing over the next few days is simliar, the roles are likely to be rejigged. HS Prannoy’s presence as the third singles player was a crucial factor in Bangkok, but this time he is the top-ranked Indian singles player and will have to shoulder a different, tougher burden. If picked, he will play the opponent’s toughest players. While at his best, Prannoy can beat anyone in the world – even Viktor Axelsen, as he has shown in the last few years – his 2024 has been off to a rough start. With older health issues resurfacing, he hasn’t hit the highs of 2023, although the signs were good at the Asian Championships.
Lakshya Sen was flying high in 2022, but things have not been easy for him since. His Paris 2024 dreams looked distant at the start of this year, but the Almora kid climbed this hill in the nick of time, putting together crucial runs in Europe. In 2022, Srikanth Kidambi played arguably the best badminton of his career since the remarkable 2017 season, going undefeated in Bangkok. This time – if picked as the third singles player – he will have to overcome patchy form and step up under high pressure in deciding fifth matches. Priyanshu Rajawat was a rookie in Bangkok as he soaked in the experience, but is now more than a viable option for the third singles slot, should India seek to rotate.
In men’s doubles, MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila’s fortunes nosedived post-2022 mostly due to injuries, but they have hit some good form recently.
The one thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the form of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, if anything they have gone on to become world-beaters. Currently world No 3, SatChi will have to spearhead India’s challenge as a bankable win in every tie they play.
India’s opponents in Group C will first be Kunlavut Vitidsarn-led Thailand. The world champion could well give his side a winning start but the depth on paper is much better for India, with Thailand not having their best second singles or main doubles options. England is next, and that should be winnable too. Then comes the grudge match against Indonesia, who have their main singles players Jonatan Christie and Anthony Ginting in great form, and despite their legendary doubles players missing, possess great depth there too.
Being played so close to Paris 2024, there is also the question of how much teams will push in Chengdu. Some teams have withdrawn, while others have not sent their full strength teams (like Indian women in the Uber Cup). But, Race to Paris now in the rearview mirror, India have made their intentions for Thomas Cup clear by opting for the big guns.
And at a team event, all it could take is a spark, leaning on teammates to overturn tough situations. The early signs are similar in Chengdu as in Bangkok, as the team has been projecting confidence and team spirit. “Rok sako toh rok lo,” seems to be the rallying cry. Even though defending the famous trophy will be daunting, the group that made history are striking a defiant note.
Exposure for young talent in Uber Cup
Indian women gained automatic qualification for the Uber Cup 2024 Finals after a sensational week at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Malaysia earlier this year. A semifinal spot would have assured them their spot but they went the distance to clinch the title, overcoming a series of higher-ranked opponents. That title, albeit in a depleted field, was a shot in the arm for the women’s badminton contingent in the country, where the big wins have often come in individual tournaments. It marked PV Sindhu’s comeback to action from an injury break, but was made memorable by Anmol Kharb’s incredible arrival on the big stage.
But in Chengdu, as Uber Cup gets underway on Saturday, India will unlikely build on that success in Shah Alam. A medal at the World Team Championships wouldn’t have been easy anyway, but it became improbable when Sindhu, Tanisha Crasto-Ashwini Ponnappa, Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand opted out.
“Sindhu informed the selectors that due to back-to-back tournaments leading up to the Olympics, she and her team have decided to skip the Uber Cup to prepare for the Olympics Top doubles pairs also cited similar reasons and, since it is not a full-strength team, they also pulled out. The selectors then decided to go ahead with young players who have done well recently at the National Championships,” BAI had said in a statement while announcing the squad.
And so the mercurial lefty Ashmita Chaliha will lead a young Indian team, that could still stand an outside chance at getting out of Group A in second place. China will be the overwhelming favourites in the group but against Canada and Singapore, India can’t be written off. The crucial tie would be the opener on Saturday against Michelle Li’s Canada.
National champion Anmol, who stole headlines at BATC, will get another chance to go toe-to-toe with some more higher-ranked opponents while Tanvi Sharma is another teenager to keep an eye out on. Shruti Mishra-Priya Konjengbam and Simran Singhi-Ritika Thaker will shoulder doubles responsibilities.
Thomas Cup squad:
(Singles) HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Priyanshu Rajawat and Kiran George
(Doubles) Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, MR Arjun, Dhruv Kapila and Sai Pratheek
Uber Cup squad:
(Singles) Anmol Kharb, Tanvi Sharma, Ashmita Chaliha and Isharani Baruah
(Doubles) Shruti Mishra, Priya Konjengbam, Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker
