Thomas Coup: Baddy boys shuttle to historic triumph

For all those who never got to experience the miracle of 1983 as it unfolded in real time, this is a lot what it felt like. True, the Indian men’s badminton team may not have been rank outsiders to the extent that Kapil’s Devils were.
But on Sunday, they were up against the weight of history. India had never played in a Thomas Cup final before, and were facing the most decorated team in the history of men’s badminton — Indonesia, which boast 14 titles in the world men’s team championship.
India could easily have been overawed by the enormity of the occasion. Instead, they repeatedly dug deep to come back from initial reverses and turn the tide. Lakshya Sen, all of 20 and already a legend in the making, was thrashed 8-21 in the first game but fought back to win the next two 21-17, 21-16.

The duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy lost the first game but saved four match points to win a humdinger 18-21, 23-21, 21-19.
By the time Kidambi Srikanth, undefeated in the tournament, took the court, India was daring to dream. About 50 minutes later, the fairytale was complete and India had become only the sixth nation to win the championship in its 73-year history.