Thomas Cup: Srikanth attributes India's win to WhatsApp group titled ‘We’ll bring it home’

The Indian Men's Badminton Team scripted history on Sunday as they beat Indonesia in the finale of the Thomas Cup in Bangkok, Thailand. India's star player Kidambi Srikanth, who was one of the key architects of the historic victory, highlighted how the entire team believed they could win the competition even before the tournament had begun. Srikanth said they created a WhatsApp group called 'We'll bring it home' a week before the tournament started, adding "we always thought we are capable". 

Speaking to BWF after the win, Srikanth said the team environment was very good and everyone was really supportive of each other. On a personal level, Srikanth said he is very happy with the win as India had never won the Thomas Cup before. Srikanth further added that it feels even better to contribute to the team's win. 

"This might sound a little dramatic. But you know, when I was in Korea for the Korea Masters, and the following week we had selection trials… immediately after those trials, when the team got announced, we created a (Whatsapp) group titled ‘We’ll Bring It Home’, or something like that. This happened a week before the tournament started. So yeah… we always thought we are capable, but we only had to be consistent. Coming here, it was a fantastic team and we had great atmosphere. We were a happy team, and we were really supporting each other and backing each other," Srikanth said in his post. 

"I’m very happy. Every win, every achievement has its own uniqueness. India has never won the Thomas Cup before this. Now to be part of a team that has won the Thomas Cup and to contribute to the team’s win gives me a lot of happiness. Every time you contribute to the team’s win you get a different feeling, especially in a final. I’m happy that throughout this tournament I could win my matches and give those crucial points to the team," he added. 

Thomas Cup final

India registered their maiden Thomas Cup win after beating 14-time champions Indonesia by 3-0. Lakshya Sen provided the first breakthrough with an 8-21 21-17 21-16 win over world no.5 Anthony Sinisuka. Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy then beat Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo 18-21 23-21 21-19 to take India's lead to 2-0. Srikanth won his singles match against Jonatan Christie by 21-15 23-21 to seal the historic victory. 

Image: PTI