Despite heartbreak against France, 2026 Thomas Cup bronze a step in the right direction for Indian badminton

India could barely put up a fight against France in the semi-finals of the BWF Thomas Cup in Horsens, Denmark on Saturday, bowing out of the tournament with a bronze medal after suffering a 0-3 defeat. It was only their second medal in the tournament after their historic gold four years earlier, but in the end, there was a feeling that the team could have gone even further.

The Indian contingent had raised hopes of reaching the final of the prestigious tournament for the second time in three editions after thrashing Chinese Taipei by a similar margin in the quarter-finals. The solid fight they had produced in their 2-3 defeat against heavyweights China during the group stage also highlighted the fact that this team could go the distance in the tournament.

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India, however, were on the back-foot once star shuttler Lakshya Sen was ruled out of the semi-final showdown due to an elbow injury and foot blisters. Lakshya had given India the early lead by conquering a massive hurdle in the form of world No 6 Chou Tien-chen, and his absence was always going to hurt the team's chances.

A step in the right direction for Indian badminton

Despite the disappointment of missing out on a higher place on the Thomas Cup podium this year, the team's performance certainly is a step in the right direction for Indian badminton.

The country currently does not have a single player in the top-10 in any singles category at the senior level, with Lakshya (11th) and PV Sindhu (12th) being the highest-ranked players in the men's and women's game respectively. That in itself is an indicator of Indian badminton's decline over the last couple of years, with the country having failed to collect a single Olympic medal in the sport for the first time in 12 years at the Paris Games in 2024.

But winning two medals in the space of four years after failing to register a single podium finish in over seven decades of the tournament's existence highlights the fact that there still is reason to believe in the country's shuttlers.

It remains to be seen how much longer veteran stars Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy continue to play at the highest level, both approaching their mid-thirties at presence. However, the likes of Lakshya and rising star Ayush Shetty – who had stunned Kunlavut Vitidsarn en route to his runner-up finish at the Badminton Asia Championships last month – suggests that the sport is in good hands for now.