Looking forward to Thomas Cup on WednesdayIndia’s incredible Thomas Cup triumph in Bangkok in 2022 required a leap of faith.
It was all the more important because the first match against Thailand was a banana skin.
Indeed, the 4-1 scoreline didn’t quite reflect how tricky that match was for India.
But the 2022 finalists have come through as expected, with India blanking England, while Indonesia edged past Thailand, to qualify for the quarterfinals.
“When we play Indonesia, it will be about giving our best to top the group.” India didn’t top the group in Bangkok but managed alright.
Looking forward to Thomas Cup on Wednesday
India’s incredible Thomas Cup triumph in Bangkok in 2022 required a leap of faith. Never before were India seen as potential World Champions in a badminton team event, so to manifest that into reality, they had to will themselves into believing it. But now that they know it could be done, the objective in Chengdu at the start of their title defence was about ticking small boxes before gearing up for tougher challenges.
It was all the more important because the first match against Thailand was a banana skin. “One match here or there, it could have gone bad for us,” is how HS Prannoy put it. Indeed, the 4-1 scoreline didn’t quite reflect how tricky that match was for India. Even on Monday, Indonesia had some hairy moments against a young Thai side. But the 2022 finalists have come through as expected, with India blanking England, while Indonesia edged past Thailand, to qualify for the quarterfinals. On Wednesday the much-awaited clash between India and Indonesia will decide who tops Group C.
“The first goal was to qualify for knockouts, that’s what we were thinking about coming in to the tournament,” Srikanth said. “When we play Indonesia, it will be about giving our best to top the group.” India didn’t top the group in Bangkok but managed alright. But it can’t be denied that finishing first in the group is an advantage in the quarterfinals.
It has set up the India-Indonesia rematch perfectly, a match that will provide the first real indication of how far the defending champions can go. Two small steps done, now time for giant leaps.
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