Thomas Cup: This was the finest team to represent India, says Prakash Padukone

Thomas Cup victory is as big as it gets in terms of a team title in badminton. As a team's dream turned into reality, India's badminton legend Prakash Padukone underlined the passion, focus and dedication that goes into making a champion team. THOMAS CUP WIN: WISH TEAM INDIA"It is an unforgettable red-letter day for Indian badminton. We have now truly arrived on the big scene. It was a brilliant team effort on the whole. The performance of this team is not a flash in the pan, they have worked very hard for it. It is no small feat to beat Malaysia, Denmark and Indonesia in a week. Earlier, due to various factors like injuries and non-availability of players, we were unable to field the best team, but this was the finest team to represent India," said Padukone, who spearheaded the Indian team which reached the semifinals of the competition 43 years ago. The 66-year-old was all praise for the doubles pair of Satwik Sairaj and Chirag Shetty. The duo put India in a position of strength with their comeback 18-21, 23-21, 21-19 win over the famed pair of Md Ahsan and Kevin Sukamuljo.

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Of all the sporting triumphs, India's Thomas Cup victory should rank among its finest. For one, Indian men were stepping out of the shadow of the women, and while that is victory enough, the all-male huddle was hurriedly scripting a new chapter in Indian sport that has been riddled with the idea of

"While each player has contributed to the success of the team, in my opinion the most valuable players were our first doubles pair of Satwik Sairaj and Chirag Shetty. They made a big difference to the balance of the team by winning the crucial first doubles, which was always our weak link,"