Ayush Shetty stole the limelight in India’s final group stage match at the Thomas Cup on Wednesday, April 29. Shetty, playing against China, had a comeback win over world number 15 Weng Hong Yang in a game that lasted one hour and 10 minutes.
Shetty’s 17-21, 21-13, 21-15 win reaffirmed the prowess of the prodigiously talented youngster who is being touted as the next big thing in Indian badminton this season. Shetty’s victory looked even more impressive considering that he took to the court after losses to Lakshya Sen and Satwik-Chirag. Both Lakshya and Sat-Chi played well in phases today but lacked the clinical edge to seal their games.
Badminton India Vs. China: Thomas Cup Highlights
When Ayush took to the court, India were staring at a 3-0 collapse against the Chinese, which could have spelled a sad end to the team’s campaign in the group stage. It certainly looked like a possibility when Ayush lost the first game of the tie 17-21, but eventually came back to win 21-13, 21-15 in a show of incredible speed and shooting.
Earlier in the tie, Lakshya Sen lost 19-21, 21-8, 12-21 to former All England champion Li Shi Feng, while Satwik-Chirag saved five match points before losing 13-21, 21-13, 24-26 to Liang Wei Kang and Wang Chang.
Lakshya was sensational in the stages but his old problem of losing steam in the final game caught up with him again. Lakshya, who had recently changed his playing style to focus on long rallies, was unable to counter Li Shi Feng’s incredible intensity in the final game, ending up with him losing by a wide margin.
Satwik-Chirag may have been guilty of the same. The former world number one in doubles played a smart match against China’s Liang Wei Kang and Wang Chang. Sat-Chi found gaps in the forecourt and forced the Chinese into mistakes, stretching the game to a decider.
In the final game, Wang Chang really picked up his serve game, putting top-spin and drop into his serves. Sat-Chi had no answer for this and ended up giving up the match in one hour and seven minutes.
Ayush’s victory against Hong Yang came after the Sat-Chi match but India’s hopes lasted very little time as the second men’s doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun failed to build on the momentum and lost 17-21, 13-21 against He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu to end India’s chance.
However, the team left the court on a high as HS Prannoy ended the day on a winning note for India by defeating Lu Guang Zu 20-22, 21-19, 21-11.
With a 2-3 loss against China, India finished second in the group and now await their opponents in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
29 Apr 2026 22:33 IST
