The Indian men’s badminton team created history when they defeated Indonesia in the finals of the Thomas with a dominating 3-0 scoreline.
It was India’s first ever finals in the Thomas Cup and they were against the record champions but they showed tremendous grit, determination and fighting spirit to bag the glorious win.
One of the architects and experienced campaigners for the Indian team was HS Prannoy who won back to back do-or-die matches to guide India to the finals. He showed tremendous heart and played with a lot of conviction throughout the tournament. In a recent interview with India Times, the veteran shuttler feels that this was his greatest moment in his career.
“It’ll always be one of the greatest moments of my career. I have enjoyed some great personal victories, but this is different. Here we were playing as India. And that’s what matters to any athlete,” Prannoy started the interaction.
He shared how everyone was determined to return with a medal from the Thomas Cup when they landed in Thailand but never in his dream he thought that the colour would be gold.”When we came to Bangkok, we were determined to return with a medal. However, none of us ever imagined it could be the gold. I can speak for myself and must confess I did not think we could win the gold. So, you can understand how special this achievement is for all of us,” he shared.
HS Prannoy had a great match against Rasmus Gemke as India needed a win to progress to the finals. Prannoy showed tremendous heart and despite suffering an ankle injury he came out as a winner for the second time in a row after winning the decider against Malaysia in the previous round.
“Everyone in the team was determined not to let Denmark win. Losing wasn’t an option. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were brilliant in the doubles. They had to deal with multiple match points and it was as close as it could get. So, when it came to the decider, I just couldn’t let everyone down. It was my opportunity. And I was feeling a kind of confidence which you feel on days when nothing can go wrong for you,” Prannoy revealed.
Lastly the experienced shuttler highlighted how he wants the world to take notice of India and this win will help them to achieve that feat. “We all have won some great individual contests. But if you see the way we’ve played as a team, we needed a victory like this to ensure the world sits up and takes notice. I always wanted the world to be scared of India. Look at us differently,” concluded HS Prannoy.
