Three years back in the middle of May, Srikanth Kidambi and HS Prannoy found themselves at the center of one of Indian badminton’s greatest triumphs. The two veterans took shared leadership, galvanised an otherwise young squad, and led India to the Thomas Cup title, which feels surreal till date. The recent few weeks, however, haven’t been easy going. Prannoy has struggled with a myriad physical issues since achieving his dream of representing India at the Olympics, while Srikanth’s ranking has kept plummeting, and he finds himself battling through qualification rounds to earn a ticket in the main draws of World Tour events or depending on withdrawals.
The two veterans needed a day that reinforced that the work they have been putting in the background is worth it. On Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur, they received a shot in the arm. As they both completed their first-round upset job against higher-ranked opponents, they both let out a huge roar. Prannoy had lost the last three times he had faced Kenta Nishimoto but managed to arrest that mini-streak with a 19-21, 21-17, 21-16 win in 82 minutes against the world No. 12.
Srikanth historically had a good record against Lu Guang Zu, winning five of his previous six meetings against the rising Chinese talent, but the last win was back in July 2024. Lu is one of the form players on tour, reaching the final of the Badminton Asia Championships and semifinals last week at the Thailand Open. But Srikanth – despite some shaky moments – produced some typically silky moments of elegant badminton in a 23-21, 13-21, 21-11 win in 57 minutes against the world No 13.
HS Prannoy is back at the event where he won the title in 2023 and produces some vintage stuff as he digs deep to beat the ever-challenging Kenta Nishimoto. Was down 7-12 in Game 3, caught up & eventually raced through. Good to see him at it.
🎥 BWF TV pic.twitter.com/mAllMOgOKW
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) May 21, 2025
“I felt this was a very important win for Prannoy, just for him to understand what he is still capable of. It was good to see him digging deep in the match, to go for the attack and find the momentum at the end,” his coach and former India shuttler Gurusaidutt told The Indian Express. “He was in good positions this year at the All England against Toma Popov, Anders Antonsen and Jonatan Christie at Sudirman Cup, and so on. But at crucial points, there were confidence and the energy level drops that were happening. And that happens for a guy who has issues with health, and over a period, you know, he’s unable to train as much as he used to.” Guru also mentioned that it was something Prannoy specifically tried to simulate in training, putting himself in uncomfortable conditions.
Prannoy, a former champion of this tournament in 2023, came back from 7-12 down in the decider to win 14 of the next 18 points. “The turning point was the five straight points, when he caught up at 12-12,” Gurusaidutt said.
For Srikanth, too, life on tour hasn’t been easy. But Gurusaidutt – along with Parupalli Kashyap and Pullela Gopichand – have kept the belief, while the former world No 1 himself has been trying to be more vocal in training, be more aggressive on court. His skills have never been in doubt. “He is a guy who can trouble anybody. Sometimes he misses out because he tries too much. He has found a bit more acceptance about where he is. And for a guy of his caliber, to play two really tough qualification matches on one day and come through, then win in three games against a player like Lu is important.”
Gurusaidutt, however, quickly added that it has to be more than just one-off wins. “They needed these wins to believe that this is still possible. I see the hunger in both of them. But after the match, everything quickly went back to normal. Head down, prepare.”
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