Cold, cussed, unemotional math data says if India’s Thomas Cup team seeding was 8th, then a semifinal (last 4) finish was them punching above their weight in badminton’s team World Cup. Thailand (with World No 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn), Indonesia (with World No 5 Jonatan Christie), and Japan (with World No 9 Kodai Naraoka) – considered well-rounded powerhouses of international badminton- did not reach the 2026 Thomas Cup semifinals. Chinese Taipei, with two Taiwanese in the Top 10 – Chou Tien Chen at No 6, and Lin Chun-Yi at No 8, did not make the last 4 either – incidentally defeated by India, whose two singles players getting them the win, were ranked No 11 and a fresh entrant to the Top 20 – Ayush Shetty, at No 18. The devil is on social media, the details are on the ranking charts, and the drop-down recent results. “The bronze was not easy to win,” a calm HS Prannoy told a SAI-facilitated interaction, on his return two days ago. “India was seeded 8th, and we were never …