Kamal Ghorui
India will aim to stay on course for a second title when they face a formidable Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals of the Thomas Cup Finals on Friday.Four years ago, India achieved an unprecedented feat by clinching the Thomas Cup crown — the world team championship of badminton — bringing the sport firmly into focus among the country’s youth.This time, India progressed to the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group A and will face Chinese Taipei, who are yet to win the title.India made a strong start to their campaign with a 4-1 win over Canada, followed by a 5-0 sweep of Australia, before going down 2-3 to China despite a spirited effort.Chinese Taipei is also a formidable side, led by world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen. Alongside him, world No. 8 and reigning All England champion Lin Chun-Yi and world No. 21 Chi Yu Jen add depth to their singles line-up.In doubles, the Taiwanese side boasts of the world No. 14 pair of Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin, and world No. 16 duo of Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan.India, on the other hand, have looked in good touch, with both singles and doubles combinations performing well.Young Ayush Shetty has carried forward his form from the Badminton Asia Championships, where he finished runner-up, winning all three of his matches, including victories over Brian Yang and Weng Hong Yang in the second singles.Old warhorses HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth have shared the third singles responsibilities, with the latter producing a fine come-from-behind win over China’s Lu Guang Zu on Wednesday.Prannoy had played a similar role during India’s title-winning campaign in 2022.All England finalist Lakshya Sen, though lost two three-game thrillers, has impressed with his performances.The doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won their opening two matches before narrowly losing to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang. It was their first tournament after Satwik’s return from a shoulder injury, and the close contest is expected to help them ahead of the knockout stage.The second doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun have also won two of their three matches so far and will be keen to help India reach the semifinals.Besides winning the title in 2022, India have won the bronze medal in 1952, 1955 and 1979.
