India national badminton team suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to China national badminton team in a closely fought Thomas Cup 2026 tie on Wednesday, with standout wins from H.S. Prannoy and Ayush Shetty proving insufficient to tilt the result.

India’s young star Ayush Shetty delivered a crucial breakthrough in the third rubber, defeating World No. 15 Weng Hong Yang in a hard-fought three-game battle. After dropping the opening game 17-21, Ayush showed resilience and composure to bounce back 21-13, 21-15, sealing the contest in 70 minutes. The victory highlighted his growing stature, coming shortly after his bronze-medal finish at the Asian Championships that propelled him into the top 20 rankings.

However, China had already built a strong lead earlier in the tie. In the opening match, Lakshya Sen went down to Li Shi Feng in three games, losing 21-19, 8-21, 21-12. The Chinese side then extended its advantage through the doubles pairing of Liang Wei Kang and Chang Wang, who edged past India’s top duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in a thrilling encounter. The match, lasting 67 minutes, saw the Indian pair fight back after losing the first game, only to fall short 24-26 in a tense decider.

By the time Prannoy stepped onto the court for the final singles rubber, the tie had already been decided in China’s favor at 3-1. Nevertheless, the experienced campaigner produced a spirited performance, overcoming Lu Guang Zu 20-22, 21-19, 21-11 to end India’s campaign in the group stage on a positive note.

Despite the loss, India had already secured its place in the quarterfinals thanks to earlier victories over Australia and Canada. The narrow defeat against a strong Chinese lineup offers both encouragement and areas for improvement as the team prepares for the knockout stage.

With key players finding form at the right time, India will look to build on this performance and mount a strong challenge in the latter stages of the tournament.