Lakshya Sen shares his feeling regarding the historic win

India defeated 14-time Thomas Cup winners and defending champions Indonesia for the first time. This is one of the most significant feats achieved by Indian badminton players. India was coming into the finals as underdogs compared to Indonesia’s strong team and history.

But, to the astonishment of viewers across the world, India won the tie, by winning three straight matches.

The first match revealed how much of a stiff competition Lakshya Sen faced. It was a very hard-fought win. Sen lost the first set by 21-8, as the Indonesian took 12 straight points. But Lakshya Sen fought back into the match and showed sheer power and determination to win the following two sets by 21-17 and 21-16.

Also read: India lifts the Thomas Cup for the first time ever

In the second doubles match, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy faced Kevin Sukamuljo and Mohammad Ahsan. Pretty much like what happened in the first match, the Indian duo lost their first set to a close-fought 21-18. But, just like Sen, they gathered all the confidence and shifted the momentum of the game. They won the second set and the decider by 23-21 and 21-19.

In the third match, everything depended on Kidambi Srikanth to wrap the tie and win their first maiden trophy. Many could have succumbed under such pressure in a final, but Srikanth kept his cool and won the match in only the first two sets. He won the sets by 21-15 and 23-21.

After a day of celebrations, Lakshya Sen on returning to India broke his silence on the memorable outing.

Speaking to ANI, he said “It’s a really proud moment for India; everyone came together as a team”

“At the beginning of the tournament, my upset stomach affected me with the energy levels on the court. I couldn’t give my 100 per cent… then I had to really play in the quarter and semi-finals… I tried my level best to recover and go all out in the finals,” he said.

Sen showed great grit, character and belief to topple his Indonesian counterpart and give India a valuable 1-0 lead.

“The finals were a totally different atmosphere altogether. The match wasn’t a really good start for me as I lost the first game… I believe I really turned things around in the second and third game. I was nervous during the closing stage but I played safe and didn’t rush,” Lakshya said.

“We didn’t think that we’ll go this far in the tournament but one thing was sure, we knew we can beat any team. Let’s just go one match at a time and not think about the results… nothing is impossible,” he added.

This well and truly is the golden generation of India, when it comes to Badminton!

It was really a historic moment for every single Indian fan. The players proved how exceptional they were and how much capable this was. This proved that Indian badminton is on the right track, and moving forward to a bright future.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has also announced Rs 5 lakh reward from the State government for Thomas Cup winner Lakshya Sen.