FILE PHOTO: Indian shuttler HS Prannoy in action. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra) Of all the possibilities in the world, Chinese Taipei had to walk into India’s path at the Thomas Cup. With strong singles and a favourable matchup to stop Ayush Shetty through No 8 Lin Chun-Yi, Taiwan can be a formidable foe for India as they seek to progress from the quarters upwards. However, injury worries have dogged the Taiwanese too. India had lost in both MS1 and MD1 four years ago to Taiwan, on thecway to the Thomas Cup title they won. As such, that group tie was a catalyst to the triumph back in 2022. It is a much sturdier Taiwan now, with depth in men’s singles. World No 4 Chou Tien Chen, Lin Chun-Yi and Chi Yu-Jen played in the 3-2 win against Denmark, but Tien Chen and the new Asian Championships gold medallist Lin Chun-Yi lost their singles ties. Chun-Yi went down to Magnus Johannesen 17-21, 21-16, 21-19, but had defeated Ayush easily at Ningbo BAC.…