India, May 6 -- India capped off a notable run at the 2026 Thomas Cup, finishing third and securing the bronze medal after a 0-3 loss to France in the semifinal last Saturday in Denmark. It was only India's second medal in Thomas Cup history, having clinched gold two editions ago. The squad expected a celebration. They expected shutterbugs at the airport. But there were none.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, by his own admission, is rarely vocal about such a lack of recognition. But this time, the incident saw him explode on social media. He shared a before-and-after picture of the men's squad at the airport, showing no crowd, fans or media around them. The caption on his Instagram story read: "Back home now. As usual, no one knows what happened...