India vs China Highlights, Thomas Cup 2026 badminton: India finish on a high, Prannoy wins final match of the tie

Here's the match report from India vs China game.

Click here to read the full report.

Veteran HS Prannoy wins the final match of the tie, handing India a consolation win in the 2-3 loss against China. 

Prannoy wins the third singles match 20-22, 21-19, 21-11 against World No. 23 Lu Guang Zu.

If India woul have shown a little more clinical edge in this game, they might have won the tie.

Now the team finishes 2nd and will have to play against one of the group toppers.

HS Prannoy wins the second game 21-19 and forces a decider. India will be looking to finish this tie on a high.

If you have missed the majority of the action today. Here is the summary of everything that has happened so far.

Lakshya Sen loses to Li Shi Feng in a three-game lop-sided battle

India's top singles player Lakshya Sen fell to his second defeat in the Thomas Cup. Lakshya had made a tremendous comeback after losing the opening game by 19-21. He had smashed Li Shi Feng 21-8 in the second game, but ended up cracking under pressure in the decider.

Sat-Chi lose to top Chinese pair in 3 games

Satwik Chirag showed incredible intelligence against China's Liang/Wang, who are very adept defenders. Sat-Chi worked on their front court placing and play flat exchanges for the majority of the match.

The match was tied at 13-21, 21-13 after the first two games, but Sat-Chi were not able to survive the intensity.

Wang's exceptional service - his ability to generate top-spin on the shuttle, his ability to hit the net and make the shuttle tumble in the serve got Sat-Chi in the deciding game.

Sat-Chi lost 13-21, 21-13, 15-21 to surrender the first doubles match of the tie.

Ayush Shetty beats Weng Hong Yang

This was the highlight of the match for India. Young Ayush Shetty once again showed that he is the next big thing in Indian badminton. A patient Ayush overcame the first game loss (17-21), to hit back with 21-13, 21-15 win to take a match back for India.

Arjun Hariharan no match in second doubles

The second doubles game was absolutely no competition. India lost in straight games 21-17, 21-13 in just 35 minutes.

HS prannoy loses the opening game of the 5th and final tie. 

He has stretched China's Lu Guang Zu deep, but ends up conceding the game 20-22.

India lose their second doubles match in straight games. There is no dream comeback for the duo.

China have taken an unassailable lead in the tie. HS Prannoy has come out to play the final match of this contest.

The Indian doubles pair of MR Arjun and Hariharan display some good badminton but ended up losing the opening game of the tie.

A very important victory for Ayush Shetty.

Not so much for the India vs China match, but the fact that he was able to beat a higher ranked opponent after being played out in the opening game.

After losing the first game 17-21, Ayush Shetty makes a strong comeback to win 21-13, 21-15 in the second men's singles of the tie.

At the moment, India's second doubles pairing of MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan are taking on He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu.

That was a topsy-turvy first game. Ayush Shetty was leading until the mid-game interval, but the momentum slipped away. Went Hong Yang was ruthless and he takes the opening game. 

india are in real danger of going 0-3 down. 

Ayush Shetty, the runner-up from Asian Badminton Championship, is up against Weng Hong Yang, the World No. 15. 

Ayush is under pressure to deliver for India. India will concede an unbeatable lead if they go down in this singles tie. 

Interestingly, this is the first time Ayush and Weng are meeting on the tour. 

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty go down fighting. Two poor defences have resulted in them losing 24-26 in the third and final game of the tie. An hour-long fight sees China win in three games.

India are down 0-2 and they are in a spot of bother in the final match of the group-stage.

Some unbelievable services have kept China alive in the men's doubles.

Wang serves some exceptional ones, mixing top spin into his serve. These are very difficult to return, and India barely kept up with it.

The match has been dragged much beyond 21 points. It is tied at 24-all between India and China right now.

A very interesting start to the deciding game in men's doubles.

Satwik Chirag have kept with the Chinese pair throughout the first half of the final game while playing on the slower side of the court.

This is the same side, where they and the Chinese pair lost their previous games. And the fact that they have stayed in and taken a 11-10 lead going into the last 10 points makes them the favourite to win this tie.

There was a little lack of co-ordination from the Indian duo, but their relentless pressure with dribbles and tap smashes have kept them ahead in this game.

Second half of the decider is coming up folks. Stay tuned.

Lovely badminton from Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

Instead of relying on their full bodied smashes, they have played the second game so calculative and smart, earning them a win by 21-13.

I think Satwik's shoulder injury has played a part in this style of play as the duo have relied on placing the shuttle intelligently across the court, instead of out powering the opponent.

With the win in the second game, Sat-Chi have levelled the tie at 1-1, and we are once again playing a decider. 

Lakshya Sen lost the first tie in the deciding game, Indian fans will hope that their fortunes change in this one.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are playing their heart out in the second game. They have been able to draw in the Chinese pair with their first court drops and forced errors out of the opposition.

The duo have taken a strong 11-6 lead, and are expected to capitalise on this moment.

One of the features of their play has been the switch between them. They are staying closer to the net and are meeting the shuttle earlier than the first game.

The interception has been good and hence the Chinese have been forced into front court errors while defending the shuttle.

That was quick from the Chinese stars. A great mix of aggression and deception gives the opening game 21-13 in the opening game. 

Satwik and Chirag lacked a bit of co-ordination there. It was clinical from the World No. 5 pair. 

India are in danger of going 0-2 down in this tie. They need Satwik and Chirag to fire up. 

This is some badminton from Liang and Wang. They are forcing the pace here, mixing it up well and hitting body smashes to keep the Indians quiet. Their deception game is also on point. 

It's not just been about power, but subtlety has helped the Chinese duo. Terrific so far as they take a 16-10 lead in the opening game of the doubles match. 

This is what we expected from this match, right? It's World No. 4 vs World No. 5. Expect it to be frenetic and pacey. 

Neither of these pairs has managed to break free. 

It's 5-5 in the first game of the first doubles match of the tie. 

Can Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shettyhelp India bounce back?

They take on Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in the first doubles match of the tie. 

Satwik and Chirag are ranked higher (4) than their Chinese opponents (5), but Wang and Liang have an 8-4 head-to-head record against the Indians. 

In their last meeting, which came at the World Tour Finals last year, Liang and Wang defeated Sat-Chi 10-21, 21-17, 21-13. 

Li Shi Feng has won the first singles match 21-19, 8-21, 21-19 in an hour and 13 minutes. That was certainly a missed opportunity for Lakshya Sen. This is his second defeat in this Thomas Cup after he lost to Victor Lai of Canada.

Lakshya will be disappointed, knowing he had his moments in that match. Li Shi Feng was blown away in the second game, which Lakshya won 21-8. He had all the momentum, but Li came back strong. He was more proactive and more clinical with his shot-making. 

India go 0-1 down in this Thomas Cup tie against China. 

That was all touch and class from Lakshya Sen.  A 65-shot rally goes the Indian's way as he makes it 10-12 in the third game. 

Both players were not willing to lose that. Defensively solid, Lakshya kept pushing it and waited for a mistake. Finally, he finds the space and room to deliver a superb cross-court drop. 

Li Shi Feng drops to the ground, gasping for breath. 

A four-point lead for Li Shi Feng in the deciding game. The Chinese shuttler did well to bounce back from the drubbing in the second. He was keen on getting off the blocks quickly and he maintained the lead throughout. 

Lakshya needs to bounce back. He can't start the second half of this game slowly. 

Can the Indian push Li to the limits here? 

That was good from Li Shi Feng. He was kind of pretty keen on winning the opening point after having been blown away in the second game. 

He goes up 2-0 in the decider. And he lets out a roar. He knows the importance of finding his rhythm back and snatching the momentum from Lakshya. 

We are going the distance in the first singles match of the tie. Did we expect anything else? 

Lakshya Sen has blown Li Shi Feng out of the water with a 21-8 win in the second game. His pace and precision took Li by surprise. Once the Chinese star went down 2-11, it was all catch-up. And he appeared to give up when Lakshya was leading 14-2. 

A terrific game from the Indian. Can he maintain the momentum?

It will be interesting to see if Lakshya will start with the same aggression he displayed in the second game. 

It has taken just six minutes for Lakshya Sen to race into the mid-game interval of the second game with a nine-point lead. 

While the first game took 30 minutes, the first half of the second has lasted just six. 

Lakshya has been sensational in this game, combining pace and precision wonderfully well. 

Can he continue the momentum and force a decider? 

Li Shi Feng is shaken. 

That is some response from Lakshya Sen. He has come up all guns blazing in the second game. He has visibly upped a gear here. 

"He has come out like a man possessed," says the on-air commentator. 

It's not like he played badly in the opener. But, Lakshya is moving fast and hunting winners with ease here. 

Okay, before the second game is underway, let's answer some of your questions. 

The livestreaming of this match is available on JioHostar in India. 

And this India vs China tie has five matches – three singles and two doubles. 

The tie will go in even if one of the two teams takes a decisive lead. 

That was disappointing. Lakshya Sen appeared to rush his moves in the last few rallies of the game. He was leading 18-17, but he loses 19-21. 

Li Shi Feng is pumped. He got a couple of his smashes right towards the end, making Lakshya pay for his weaker lifts. 

Is that a decisive lead in this first singles match? Lakshya needs to find a way back. Li will be pumped and he will be looking to close the match in straight games. 

Lakshya Sen's defensive evolution is something that deserves spotlight. The youngster has grown into one of the finest defenders on the tour. And against Li Shi Feng, he is showing his class. He is now leading the Chinese shuttle 18-17, eyeing the opening game. 

In one of the earlier rallies, he kept changing directions with defensive lobs, nonchalantly dragging Li to either side of the court. And eventually, won the point. 

It's a thriller here in the opening game, but Lakshya appeared tuned in. 

A good response from Lakshya Sen in the second half of this first game. Lakshya has been more decisive, and it has shown in the way he has controlled the rallies. It's 14-14 in the opening game and the Indian shuttler is not allowing Li to run away with the two-point advantage he had at the mid-game interval. 

An 11-9 lead for Li Shi Feng. He is the happier of the two shutters now. Li began to become more aggressive after Lakshya clawed back from behind. His jump smashes have worked well so far. 

Lakshya has struggled a bit with lifts, allowing Li to transition easily from defence to attack. 

But, it's still early days and Lakshya will be keen on amping up the pressure on his Chinese opponent. 

Lakshya Sen overcame a slow start to put pressure on Li Shi Feng early in the opening game. He was down 2-6. But, it's now 7-7 in the opening game. Both players are looking to find their rhythm. Neither have found their groove yet. 

Lakshya has been hitting a few long, but his defence has been solid so far. 

Lakshya Sen, World No. 11, is up against World No. 7 Li Shi Feng. The two are familiar with each other, having played 15 matches on the tour over the years. Lakshya leads them head-to-head 8-7.

Earlier this year, at the All England Open, Lakshya beat Li in straight games. 

Can he give India a 1-0 lead today? Keep in mind, Lakshya hasn't had a smooth tournament so far. He lost to Canada's Victor Lai in three games in the opening tie. He then defeated Australia's Ephraim in straight games. 

The energy is palpable. Both teams had a high-octane huddle. 

Chants of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" was heard in the Indian camp.

Can the Indian boys get the job done? 

All five matches in the tie might be evenly-contested. Certainly, the singles matches are going to be close. 

Can Lakshya Sen give India a 1-0 lead? A good start is essential. 

India have not picked Kidambi Srikanth for today while China have rested their top-ranked star, Shi Yuqi. 

IND vs CHN LINE-UP

1. Li Shi Feng vs Lakshya Sen

2. Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang vs Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty

3. Weng Hong Yang vs Ayush Shetty

4. He Ji ting/Ren Xiang Yu vs MR Arjun/Hariharan Amsakarunan

5. Lu Guang Zu vs HS Prannoy 

It's time for the final group stage match for India. They take on defending champions China. 

Both teams have already qualified for the quarterfinals. This clash will decide who will top the group and have a relatively easier outing in the last-eight round. 

Interestingly, India lost to China in the quarterfinal of Thomas Cup in 2024. Can they exact revenge today?