It is like winning cricket World Cup in 1983: Former Asian badminton champion Dinesh Khanna on India's Thomas Cup triumph

badminton champion Dinesh Khanna on Sunday congratulated the Indian badminton team for winning its first-ever Thomas Cup trophy, saying that it is like India's first-ever triumph in cricket in the 1983 world cup. "It is absolutely fantastic. It is like winning the world cup in cricket for the first time in 1983. Thomas Cup as we know is the top team championship in the sport for men. So, there is nothing greater than this win, as far as the team championship for men in the sport is concerned. I think this is a great moment for Indian badminton and we all Indians are proud of this achievement," said Khanna in an exclusive interview to ANI.

Read AlsoHistoric title triumph: India stun Indonesia 3-0 to win Thomas Cup

A determined Indian men's team etched its name in the history books by lifting the Thomas Cup title for the first time with a dominant 3-0 win over 14-time champions Indonesia in the final in Bangkok. India dished out a performance for the ages with World Championships medallist Lakshya Sen, Kidambi

Talking about the tie against Indonesia, Khanna said that all the matches were close, particularly the doubles match which was won by Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. "They lost the first game. They were down in the second and a near miss by the Indonesian cost them the game and the match. So, that turned the whole tide and Srikanth played an absolutely brilliant game. He has very smooth flowing strokes, a very easy style and he showed it to the hilt. I must say that our players kept their cool and showed great temperament and nerve. In a team event like this when you are playing the finals, it is not only the skill of the game. It is equally important that you have the temperament and nerve to finish off