New Delhi, May 5 -- India's highest-ranked shuttler Lakshya Sen shed light on the difficulty of sitting out India's Thomas Cup 2026 semifinal tie against France and watching from the sidelines despite wanting to play. The Indian shuttler said that he wanted to play the match "really badly."

India lost to France 0-3 in the semifinals in Horsens, Denmark, on Saturday as India's dream of reclaiming the title they won in 2022 ended, leaving them with a bronze medal for the 2026 edition.

The semifinal match was heavily impacted before it even began, as Lakshya was ruled out due to an elbow injury sustained during his quarterfinal victory against Chinese Taipei. Without their spearhead, India struggled to match the intensity of the French sid...