India stun Indonesia in historic title triumph to win maiden Thomas Cup

India's men's badminton team, on Sunday, made a historic triumph to enhance the country’s status in the sport and managed to pull off a major upset by crushing 14-times champions Indonesia with a commanding 3-0 win in the final to win their maiden Thomas Cup title.

World Championships medallist Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and doubles players Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy delivered the most and stunned the 14-time champions with a dominant show.

Lakshya Sen stunned Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Sinisuka Gintingin in the first singles at the Impact Arena, while Kidambi Srikanth tamed Jonatan Christie in the second singles as India became only the sixth nation to win the coveted trophy.

Doubles team duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy with Chirag Shetty managed to snatch victory over Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in the first doubles.

For India, this was an incredible week for its badminton team as the country had never reached the summit clash of the world's most prestigious event before.

Kidambi Srikanth tamed Jonatan Christie 21-15 23-21 in the second singles as India became only the sixth nation to win the coveted trophy.

After a 48-minute slugfest, Srikanth leapt to drill a crosscourt smash to Christie's left.

The importance of his win was not lost on the 29-year-old who dropped his racket and let out a roar before being mobbed by his team mates who invaded the court.

India proved their knockout stage victories over five-times champions Malaysia and 2016 winners Denmark were no fluke as they produced another courageous display against the badminton powerhouse.

Sen typified that fight in his 8-21 21-17 21-16 victory against Ginting.

The 20-year-old was outplayed in the first game but he won the second and overcame a 7-11 deficit in the decider to prevail.

The first doubles match followed a similar script with Rankireddy and Shetty losing the first game.

They saved four match points in the second to roar back and prevailed 18-21 23-21 21-19.

Srikanth kept it simple by winning the first game in 19 minutes.

Christie put up more resistance in the second game but Srikanth's reflexes at the net and calculated aggression ensured India won the final without dropping a match.

India won the knockout stage victories against five-time champions Malaysia and 2016 winners Denmark.

The victory sparked celebration back at home with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the tributes. "The Indian badminton team has scripted history! The entire nation is elated by India winning the Thomas Cup..." tweeted Modi.

In addition to this, India’s sports ministry has announced a cash prize of 10 million rupees ($129,000) for the squad.

(With input from agencies)