From winning the Thomas Cup final 3-0 against them two years ago, India lost their last Group C tie 1-4 against record 14-time champions Indonesia in a repeat of that Bangkok showdown.
Unlike the previous occasion, Wednesday’s clash in Chengdu, China was a dead rubber as both teams had qualified for the quarter-finals. Still, the defending champions were given a wake-up call ahead of the knockouts. In a thrilling tie where most matches could have gone either way, the Indonesians were the ones who kept their nerve to top the group.
The bright feature for India though was HS Prannoy hitting the stride, showing he is ready for the bigger battles after overcoming health concerns. The India No.1 pulled off a come-from-behind win over world No.7 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting before the holders finished second in the group.
India now face hosts, top seeds and 10-time champions China in the quarter-finals.
Against Indonesia, the situation initially looked tough for Prannoy as he struggled in the opening game against the quick-footed Ginting. But the world No.9 found his rhythm in time to win 13-21, 21-12, 21-12 in just over an hour, improving his head-to-head record to 4-2 against the former Asian champion.
“I knew Ginting was going to be quick in the opening game. But I knew that if I stuck with him in the second game till 13-all, 14-all then I had a chance,” said Prannoy after the match. Prannoy said he is always confident when match goes into the decider.
The first doubles proved a thriller as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty took on world No.9 pair Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana in a match lasting one hour and 17 minutes. The world No.3 combine saved 12 match points, eight of them coming in the second game, before losing 24-22, 22-24, 21-19. This was the Indonesian combine’s fourth win in eight meetings against the reigning Asian champions.
With the tie at 1-1, Lakshya Sen entered the Hi Tech Zone Sports Centre knowing that his match against reigning All England and Asian champion Jonatan Christie was going to be a virtual decider as the second Indian doubles combination was a scratch pair. For 75 minutes, the Paris Olympics-bound Sen fought hard, but it wasn’t enough to contain world No.3 Christie, who clinched the match 21-18, 16-21, 21-17. Christie now enjoys a 4-1 record against Sen. It gave Indonesia the lead.
India then paired Dhruv Kapila with K Sai Pratheek instead of MR Arjun in the second doubles. The scratch pair raised hopes of an upset when holding a game point against world No.13 Leo Carnando and Daniel Martin. But the Indonesians raised their game in the second to win the match 22-20, 21-11 in 38 minutes and wrap up the tie.
In the third singles, Kidambi Srikanth wasted two match points before losing 21-19, 22-24, 14-21 in the former world No.1’s first outing against Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo.
The Indian women’s team has drawn Japan in the Uber Cup quarter-final on Thursday.