Ex-shuttler all praise for India's Thomas Cup feat

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, May 15

Tears of joy rolled down from the eyes of 79-year-old former international shuttler Wing Commander Satish Bhatia as soon as the Indian team won their maiden Thomas Cup 2022 title.

These young lads achieved what the likes of Dinesh Khanna, Suresh Goel, Satish Bhatia, Raman Ghosh and Dipu Ghosh didn’t. This win will surely make new ways for the promotion of badminton among youngsters. — Wing Commander Satish Bhatia, Former international shuttler

On Sunday, the Indian team of Kidambi Srikanth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy achieved what only few have ever imagined.

Bhatia, who himself played three Thomas cups (1963, 1966 and 1969), was waiting to see this day ever since he hung his boots.

“It’s a proud as well as an emotional moment for me. I have played three Thomas cups. We lost in two semi-finals and one in quarterfinals. Teams like Indonesia, China and Denmark had always surpassed us. However this year, the Indian boys achieved what I had imagined once. A gold medal in the Thomas Cup is a clear sign that things are moving in the right direction. I congratulate the Indian team and every citizen of this country,” said Bhatia, who is based in Chandigarh and has also served the UT Sports Department.

In the 73-year-long history of the Thomas and Uber Cup, the Indian team had never reached the final. However, on Sunday, the Indian men not only broke the drought but also went a step ahead and became only the 6th nation after China, Indonesia, Japan, Denmark, and Malaysia to win this title. In the final, the Indian side defeated Indonesia (3-0) to deny them their 15th title.

“The championship is held every three years and we used to practice with whatever resources we had in that era. I am not blaming anyone, but other teams were surely better than us. However, over the period of time, Indian badminton has seen a drastic positive change. With the involvement of veteran players and scientific training, we are able to see this win,” said Bhatia.

He said: “The teams, which used to trouble us, never got a chance to stand against us in this edition. The Indian players were excellent. They played with aggression, shot sweetly timed drops, perfect placement, exemplary team effort and unbeatable focus on the aim… the young lads gave everything today”.

Unbelievable and historic achievement: BAI joint secy

Surinder Mahajan, newly appointed joint secretary of the Badminton Association of India (BAI), who is also the general secretary of the Chandigarh Badminton Association (CBA) and a former international coach, said this was a historic win and would be talked about for the decades to come.

“This is a historic win and everyone should be proud of it. Thomas and Uber Cups are like world cups of badminton. Today, the Indian team won the World Cup for the very first time. On behalf of the BAI and CBA, I congratulate one and all. We will also try to invite these players to Chandigarh to motivate our youngsters. It’s truly an unforgettable day in the history of India and as well as in my coaching career of over 35 years,” said Mahajan.