'Lakshya Sen not being there made the biggest difference': HS Prannoy rues Thomas Cup semifinal exit

NEW DELHI: HS Prannoy believes Lakshya Sen’s injury was the biggest reason behind India missing out on a place in the Thomas Cup final. Lakshya injured his elbow during a tough quarterfinal win over Chou Tien-chen and could not play the semifinal against France. Youngster Ayush Shetty replaced him, but India lost the tie 0-3 and settled for bronze in Denmark.Prannoy felt Lakshya’s absence completely changed the balance of the contest and said India could have won if the tie had gone deeper.“I think Lakshya kind of not being there in the semifinals definitely made the biggest difference for us out there,” Prannoy said, as quoted by news agency PTI.He added, “I believe, Lakshya would have beaten Popov and getting into the next game, Ayush would have definitely gotten that win against Alex (Lanier) for us.”Prannoy explained that team events often depend on one important win that changes momentum. He said India’s strong doubles pair could have helped if the semifinal had reached the fourth or fifth match.“Definitely, we were stronger as a team if the tie had gone to the fourth and fifth match,” he said.Chirag Shetty also pointed out that France’s unusual strategy of using players in both singles and doubles worked in their favour because India lost the first three matches before the doubles could make an impact.“It was a very unfortunate situation that our (doubles) match didn't really come because of the first three singles matches France (won),” Chirag said.Meanwhile, Lakshya confirmed his elbow is improving after scans and medical tests. Chirag also admitted he felt disappointed by the muted reaction to India’s bronze medal achievement back home.