NEW DELHI: India suffered a narrow 2-3 defeat to China in the Thomas Cup Group A final on Wednesday, crashing out of the league stage with a loss despite already securing a place in the quarter-finals.The 2022 champions found themselves under pressure early after Lakshya Sen and star doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost their matches to hand China a 2-0 lead.Lakshya, who has impressed in recent tournaments, lost to Li Shi Feng 19-21, 21-8, 12-21 in the opening singles.The doubles pair of Satwik and Chirag fought bravely, saving five match points, but eventually lost a thrilling match 13-21, 21-13, 24-26 to Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.Ayush, Prannoy lead a fighting comebackWith the tie on the line, youngster Ayush Shetty stepped up in style. After losing the first game, he bounced back strongly to beat Weng Hong Yang 17-21, 21-13, 21-15.“I really enjoyed it… it’s my first Thomas Cup. The aim was to win… I’m happy to get a point for the team,” Ayush said, expressing confidence in India’s chances for the title.However, India’s hopes took a hit in the second doubles where Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun lost 17-21, 13-21 to He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu to seal the tie for China at 3-1.In the final match, HS Prannoy put in a resilient performance, coming out of the game to beat Lu Guang Zu 20-22, 21-19, 21-11, reducing the margin of defeat.“Josh is really tall … we believe we can go all the way,” he said, underscoring the team’s confidence ahead of the knockouts.The focus shifts to the quarterfinalsDespite the loss, India finished second in Group A and advanced to the quarter-finals, where they are likely to face 2014 champions Japan.While the defeat exposed areas for improvement, India’s fighting spirit – showcased by Ayush and Prannoy – offers hope as they prepare for the business end of the tournament.
