India earned a historic gold medal at the Thomas Cup 2022 in Bangkok on Sunday, defeating heavyweights and 14-time winners Indonesia 3-0. While Indonesia was the tournament’s most successful team, India was competing in their first-ever final. Bronze medals in the event were India’s best results in 1979, 1955, and 1952.
Kidambi Srikanth won the gold medal for India by defeating Jonatan Christie 21-18, 23-21, after Lakshya Sen and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty made it 2-0 in the best-of-five game.
World number nine Lakshya Sen faced world number four Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the first match of the tie. The Indian had a 1-0 head-to-head advantage going into the match and expanded his lead with an 8-21, 21-17, 21-16 victory in a 65-minute contest.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty played Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in the second game of the tie. The Indian duo had won their sole prior meeting in the Asian Championship in 2018, 18-21, 21-18, 24-22.
On Sunday, though, they dropped the opening game 18-21 before saving four match points in the second to complete an incredible comeback by winning the final two games 21-23 and 21-19.
India took a 2-0 lead after the 73-minute encounter.
India made its first appearance in the renowned tournament, with a historic 3-2 victory over Denmark in the semi-finals to go to the final. The road to the semifinals was also full of history.
India won bronze in the Thomas Cup for the first time since the format change, thanks to a 3-2 triumph over Malaysia in the quarterfinals.
They had last won a bronze in the inter-zonal finals in 1979.