HS Prannoy's all-important win over Rasmus Gemke in the final game of their Thomas Cup encounter against Denmark confirmed India's place in the final for the first time in their history. It was a hard-fought semi-final clash against a side with the calibre of Denmark, especially after the loss of star India badminton player Lakshya Sen lost to World no. 1 Viktor Axelsen, but the Indian shuttlers managed to beat their opponents 3-2 and secure a place in the final.
Earlier in the semi-final fixture, Axelsen defeated Lakshya in straight games 21-13, 21-13 to give Denmark a strong start in the tie. This was followed by the doubles fixture between Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who beat Kim Astrup and Mathias Christiansen in a thriller as India levelled the tie 1-1 against Denmark.
After winning the first set 21-18, the Indian pair dropped two match points in the second as the Danish pair forced a decider. However, in the third set, Satwik and Chirag held their nerves to put India on level terms.
The third game saw Kidambi Srikanth give India a 2-1 lead after the 29-year-old defeated Anders Antonsen 21-18, 12-21, 21-16 to put India in the driving seat.
But the Danish shuttlers fought back very well, condemning the Indian pair of Vishnuvardhan Panjala and Krishna Garaga to a 21-14, 21-13 straight-sets loss to Denmark's Anders Skaruup Rasmussen and Frederik Sogaard, whose fourth match win pushed the side to a deciding game between Srikanth and Rasmus.
Prannoy went down 13-21 in the first game but came back well to win the second 21-9. He kept up his momentum and won the deciding game 21-12.
The Indian men's team had already created history after beating Malaysia in the Quarterfinals to ensure at least a bronze medal at the competition. However, their win over Denmark has now ensured that India will at least get a silver at the Thomas Cup.
They will face Indonesia in the final after the 14-time Thomas Cup champions defeated Japan 3-2 in their semi-final encounter.
