India’s 2026 Thomas Cup campaign ended with a bronze medal in Horsens, a result that on paper sounds like another strong chapter in the country’s growing badminton story. But when the team returned home, the silence surrounding this achievement said much more than the medal itself.
In an exclusive interaction with India Today, Chirag Shetty and HS Prannoy didn’t hold back. Not angry, not dramatic, just honest. Because for a group that spent weeks together chasing something as big as the Thomas Cupreception at home was… flat.
“I didn’t expect people to come out to the airport and receive us. But having said that, the last time we won the Thomas Cup, I don’t think we shared that much. Yes, we got a reception. I landed in Mumbai and a lot of people came to receive us. We also met the Prime Minister and had a reception at his house and we were also honored by the association,” said Chirag Shetty.
And that feeling wasn’t just internal. It also penetrated social networks, where a now viral Instagram post from Satwik-Chirag created a lot of buzz with the mysterious title.
“Back home now. As usual, no one knows what happened in the last two weeks, and no one really seems to care.”
India’s run itself had its moments. Satwik-Chirag leading from the front, Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty came on before injury disrupted the semi-final against France. A 0-3 loss ended the campaign, but not the effort. It was only India’s second Thomas Cup podium finish and their first since the historic gold in 2022.
Yet when the team landed back in India, there was no real sense of occasion. No buzz, no noise, no pause to acknowledge what has just been accomplished.
And so the conversation begins.
“WE ARE NOT YET A SPORTING NATION”
There is a pattern and Chirag has seen it before.
From the outside, Indian sports are booming. Medals are coming, systems are being improved and athletes are pushing new boundaries. But when it comes to celebrating these achievements, especially outside of cricket, the gulf is still visible.
It’s something Chirag has talked about in the past as well, pointing out how reward and recognition structures often lean heavily in one direction. His criticism after the announcement of prize money at the T20 World Cup, where cricket’s rewards surpassed badminton’s achievements, was not about comparison but equality in respect.
“I feel it (India’s Thomas Cup bronze) should have been celebrated, it wasn’t celebrated that much. The fans who really follow badminton and understand the sport knew how big the tournament was, but the general public still didn’t really know the magnitude of the result. That makes me sad sometimes,” added Chirag.
This is not a new conversation for Chirag. He has previously spoken about how achievements in badminton, even at the highest level, do not carry equal weight in the wider sporting ecosystem.
“I think we are not yet a sporting nation. Yes, we win a lot of medals, but we don’t celebrate our athletes as we should. There is still a lot that needs to be done. The government and sports bodies are already doing their part, but the ecosystem needs to start celebrating sporting achievements.”
WHY THEY MUST BE RECOGNIZED
If Chirag outlined the concerns, Prannoy went a step further and explained what it does to the players.
For gamers, it’s not just about optics. It runs deeper.
Badminton is an individual sport by nature. The Thomas Cup is one of the few times when players come together as a team, put aside personal plans and commit to a common goal for the country. This shift requires effort, sacrifice and faith.
And when the recognition doesn’t match the effort, it leaves questions.
“If a group of players can go out and win the Thomas Cup, it should be recognized for what it is. Unfortunately, the name itself – the Thomas Cup – means that a lot of people don’t realize that it’s basically a World Cup,” Prannoy said.
And this gap in understanding, he said, comes at a cost.
“When you achieve something like this and you don’t have enough recognition, it’s very difficult for the players to stay confident and motivated every time. We spend two and a half to three weeks preparing and playing as a team, the question becomes – what is the value of doing this?”
“When there is not enough support from the fans or recognition from the media, it is difficult to do it repeatedly. It is very difficult for the older players to convince the younger players to come together and do it again for the country.”
And that’s the part that persists.
Because medals will come and go. Campaigns will be remembered or forgotten. But what players sometimes take home is not just the result, but the feeling of what it meant.
HOW INDIA WON BRONZE IN THOMAS CUP 2026
It was only the second Thomas Cup medal for the Indian men’s team and the first since the historic gold in 2022, achieved largely by the same core of players. Returning to the podium after returning empty-handed as the defending champion in 2024 made this race even more significant.
Led by an experienced core of Satwik-Chiraga and Prannoy, the team found a rhythm in the group stages and knockouts, with contributions across the singles and doubles. Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty added depth and stepped up when it mattered.
The best was a 3-0 win in the quarter-finals against Chinese Taipei. Big match temper, role clarity and a team effort that took India to the last four in one of badminton’s toughest competitions.
There were also failures. Lakshya’s injury before the semi-final against France upset the balance and India could not fully recover, losing 0-3 in the tie.
A semi-final loss to France without Lakshya due to injury ended the run. But it did not detract from what had already been achieved.
That is also why the players did not talk about the medal with disappointment.
They talked about how little noise it makes.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
05 May 2026 18:15 IST
