Thomas Cup: Ayush Shetty, H. S. Prannoy shine as India finish 2nd in group stage

Ayush Shetty delivered a standout performance as India wrapped up their group-stage campaign at the Thomas Cup with a fighting 2-3 loss against China on April 29.

Facing World No. 15 Weng Hong Yang, Shetty staged a brilliant comeback to win 17-21, 21-13, 21-15 in a match that lasted over an hour. The youngster showed composure and attacking flair after dropping the opening game, underlining why he is being seen as one of India’s brightest emerging talents this season.

His win came at a crucial moment. India were already two matches down following defeats for Lakshya Sen and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and were staring at a potential whitewash. Shetty’s resilience not only avoided that outcome but also injected some late momentum into the tie.

Earlier, Lakshya fought hard before going down 19-21, 21-8, 12-21 to Li Shi Feng. Despite dominating phases, he struggled to maintain intensity in the decider, an issue that proved costly.

The doubles clash saw Satwik and Chirag push China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang to the limit. After saving five match points, the Indian pair eventually fell 13-21, 21-13, 24-26 in a gripping contest, with Wang’s improved serving proving decisive in the closing stages.

India’s hopes of topping the group ended when the second doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M. R. Arjun lost 17-21, 13-21 to He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu.

However, H. S. Prannoy ensured India finished on a positive note, battling past Lu Guang Zu 20-22, 21-19, 21-11 in a hard-fought three-game encounter.

Despite the narrow defeat, India secured second place in the group and now advance to the quarter-finals, where they will await their next opponents.