As the men’s team celebrated a feat that few predicted a week ago, an elated Prakash Padukone termed it as an ‘unforgettable red day’ for Indian badminton.
For someone who truly understands the meaning and emotion of achieving several firsts on the world stage, Padukone heaped praise on the players for scripting history by claiming the maiden Thomas Cup in Bangkok on Sunday.
The doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were the standout performers for the Indian great whose achievements in the 1970s and 80s popularised badminton in the country. “While each player has contributed to the success of the team, in my opinion, the most valuable players were our first doubles pair of Satwik and Chirag,” Padukone told DH.
“They (Satwik-Chirag) made a big difference to the balance of the team by winning the crucial first doubles which were always our weak link. Their victories against Malaysia, Denmark and Indonesia helped lessen the burden on our singles players. This is not to take away the glory from our singles players in any way since all of them delivered when it mattered the most,” he added.
At a tournament which began in 1949 and has been held 30 times since the first-time finalists were largely considered minnows at every edition having failed to surpass the quarterfinal stage and most times even failing to enter the knock-outs. “In my opinion, for the first time, every player played to his potential which is largely responsible for this superb victory. It was a brilliant team effort on the whole. We have now truly arrived on the big scene,” said Padukone.
Published 15 May 2022, 15:53 IST