After defeating Malaysia and Denmark in the quarterfinals and semifinals, the Indian badminton team riding on a victorious chariot will go on to create history against Indonesia in the final on Sunday. India scripted history on Friday as they beat Denmark 3-2 to make it to the final of the Thomas Cup for the first time.
India have lost only one match against Chinese Taipei this season, while 14-time champions Indonesia have not lost a single match and reached the final after beating China and Japan in the knockout matches.
Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy have played an important role in taking India to the final by winning five matches. The pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have also helped India win doubles matches when needed.
The pair of Krishna Prasad Garga and Vishnuvardhan Gaur Panjala, who lost their matches against Malaysia and Denmark, have been India’s weak link. It is possible that the team management may give place to MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila in their place in the final.
Lakshya Sen may clash with world number four
On the other hand, world number nine shuttler Lakshya Sen has shown good performance in the competition. Taking past records into account, Lakshya could be pitted against world number four Anthony Sinisuka Jinting in the final, as he defeated Jinting in straight matches at the German Open in March.
Srikanth could be sent to play against world number eight Jonathan Christie as he has beaten Christie five times in nine one-on-one matches. Srikanth, who had lost the last two matches against Christie’s by a very minimal margin, will be eager to take revenge.
It will be difficult for Prannoy
If the final goes to the last match, Prannoy, who was injured in the previous match, could be fielded against world No. 24 player Sheser Hiren Rustavito. Prannoy had a heel sprain, which could cause problems for him in the final match.
It is worth noting that Prannoy has defeated Shesar twice, although this match was held five years ago and since then the two have not come face to face. Indonesia has been registering wins on the back of doubles players like Kevin Sanjay Sukamuljo, Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, though India can also rely on Chirag and Satwik to match them. The Indian pair of Chirag-Satwik has defeated Sukamuljo and Ahsan in the 2018 Asia Team Championships.
