The Indian men's badminton team scripted history by reaching the final of the Thomas Cup for the first time ever. India beat Denmark 3-2 to reach the final of the tournament, thanks to a lion-hearted effort from HS Prannoy in the decisive fifth match.
Up against world number 13 Rasmus Gemke, Prannoy suffered an ankle injury after slipping on the front court. The 29-year-old continued after taking a medical timeout and put up a sensational performance to steer India to the finals of the Thomas Cup, also called the World Men's Team Championships, for the first time ever.
A video has captured the joy of Team India at the landmark moment. Footage shows the Indian squad running on court to hug and cheer for HS Prannoy after his semi-finals victory.How good is this? India has made it to their first ever Thomas Cup final. @BAI_Media#ThomasUberCups #Bangkok2022 pic.twitter.com/wPM1rra7W4
— BWF (@bwfmedia) May 13, 2022
“That was some comeback from Prannoy after being 1 set down and twisting his foot. Came all guns blazing to lead India to the final,” wrote one person in the comments section. “This made my day,” another said.
Industrialist Anand Mahindra called it a fantastic finish to Friday as he shared the celebration video. “I hadn’t been following their progress. This has come as a bolt from the blue. Thank you Team India. What a Fantastic Finish to Friday…” he wrote.
I hadn’t been following their progress. This has come as a bolt from the blue. Thank you Team India. What a Fantastic Finish to Friday… https://t.co/IiiNoUGoQB
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) May 13, 2022
HS Prannoy produced a sensational performance to come up trumps 13-21 21-9 21-12. "Mentally, there were a lot of things going on in my head. After the slip, it was hurting more than usual and I was not able to lunge properly and I was thinking what to do," Prannoy said after the tie.
India will now take on 14-time champions Indonesia in the final on Sunday. Indonesia edged out Japan 3-2 in their semifinal.
(With inputs from PTI)