'You can't just be fooling around': HS Prannoy on how the Indian team pulled out all the stops to win the Thomas Cup

Thomas Cup victory is one for the ages. Singles badminton in India has made itself a force to be reckoned with in the 21st century, but a top rung team event was never really seen as one that could be won outright. The experts don't shy away from admitting it, which is why the 2022 Thomas Cup win has been put on a pedestal. India are the men's world champions in a sense. The win over 14-time champions Indonesia set that statement in stone. But what really changed to inspire the team to do what very few anticipated -- defeating Malaysia in the quarterfinals, Denmark in the semis and Indonesia in the final? While the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been talked about as the story of the tournament, the foundation of that fiery attitude was laid by senior pros Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy, who led from the front: Srikanth won all his six matches, Prannoy all his five. Prannoy spoke to TimesofIndia.com about that experience in a special interview. Why Prannoy's feat (5 wins in 5 games) has a bit more steel to it is because of the fact that he brought India back from the brink of defeat twice -- once in the quarters and then in the semis. On both occasions, India won 3-2 to book a place in their maiden Thomas Cup final.

(Photo credit: Badminton Photo)In an interview with Timesofindia.com, Prannoy lives through those highs and lows, including his slip and scare in the match against Denmark, the relief of not being required to play in the final and the disbelief of defeating Indonesia 3-0 to win the title. Excerpts...You are part of a world champion Indian team, but it must be a relief that you were not required to play a decisive fifth match for the third time in a row and could just watch and