Badminton, Thomas and Uber Cup 2024: Two years on, Indian men’s team hope to defend crown jewel
India has sent a strong men’s team to defend their title in the Thomas Cup, while an inexperienced women’s contingent will compete in the Uber Cup.
The 2022 Thomas Cup remains one of the greatest triumphs in Indian sporting history. Starting the tournament as underdogs, the Indian men’s badminton team pulled off the unexpected to win the event – often dubbed the men’s World Championships – for the first time.
HS Prannoy’s heroics in the deciding quarter-final and semi-final ties, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s consistency, a young Lakshya Sen stepping up under pressure, Kidambi Srikanth’s famous jump smash to wrap up India’s win in the final against Jonathan Christie and the celebrations that followed are all still fresh in memories.
Come Saturday, the Indian team will once again find itself in unknown territory. This time they will start their Thomas Cup campaign as the defending champions. While they were the underdogs in the last edition, this time the Indians will have a lot more to prove.
In photos: India’s historic Thomas Cup triumph – from Lakshya’s fight to Srikanth’s finish
Though the Badminton Association of India has retained their core team from 2022 for this campaign, a lot has changed over the last two years.
Prannoy, who played the third singles for India back then, is now the first choice singles player. Ranked ninth in the world and having qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 31-year-old shuttler will be expected to give India a...
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