Indian men’s badminton team secured their first-ever Thomas Cup against Indonesia last week. On Sunday, PM Modi met the Thomas Cup champions at his office.
The team scripted history in Bangkok. They beat Indonesia 3-0 in the final. They have become only the 6th team to win this title by achieving this feat. A 73-year-long wait finally came to fruition in Bangkok.
The PM reiterated to the team that their win was no mean feat. The women’s Uber team was also present. Nevertheless, Modi interacted with every player one by one. The players, too, showed their gratitude towards him.
When Narendra Modi met Thomas Cup champions
PM Modi met the Thomas Cup champions on Sunday. Modi had some insightful queries to ask. In no time, the players were made comfortable by the friendly nature of the PM.
Kidambi Srikanth was the first one to interact. He said that he was proud to be able to lead the Indian team. Srikanth also mentioned Modi’s backing of the group. The event was broadcasted live on TV. It was also a fun-filled affair when Modi met the Thomas Cup champions. The PM joked about one of the players’ tweet reactions to the win. Furthermore, young Lakshya Sen also brought Modi a pack of sweets.
Notably, India’s sports minister Anurag Thakur was also present at the meet.
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The Thomas Cup final as it happened
In the first singles match of the final, Sen defeated Anthony Sinisuka Gintin. With this 1-0 win, the young gun set the foundations for India.
The first doubles saw the dynamic duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty take the court. The Indian pair lost the first game 18-21. However, they made an astounding comeback with resilience and grit, winning the next two games, 23-21 and 21-19. This gave India a crucial 2-0 lead in the final.
That win also put India within just one win of the trophy. India’s talisman Srikanth was up next. His opponent was Asian Games gold medallist Jonathan Christie. His winning stroke was a cross-court smash. Following this thrilling encounter, India triumphed on the biggest stage. Srikanth won his tie 2-0. The delight that followed in the Indian camp was a thing of joy.
PM Modi, at his meeting, asked the players to keep it up. India will hope to be a front-runner in the next championship.