Asian Games: Sat-Chi ready for an encore

A lot can change in sport in a fortnight, as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have shown. The duo who looked out of sorts at home in the World Championships in the last week of August, where the two big stars of Indian badminton were expected to perform their little jig in front of their own fans, turned into different beasts on court a week later in China.

From leaving everyone guessing about their fitness, form and ability to defend their Asian Games title after crashing out in the quarter-finals of the Worlds to making it all come together at the China Masters and winning their second title of the season, they not only raised eyebrows but also rekindled hopes.

It has been a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for India’s most accomplished badminton pair. “Going into the Asian Games, winning a title definitely reassures us that what we are working on is heading in the right direction,” said Satwik after their China Masters title, where they beat China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu in a gruelling 70-minute battle.

To beat a Chinese pair on home soil, who had the full support of the vocal crowd, requires nerves of steel, and both showed that. In fact, over five matches, they were at the top of their game, bringing great energy on court, defending with resolve and attacking with the kind of aggression that had made them one of the most feared pairs in the world.

So what changed so dramatically for Satwik and Chirag in such a short period? They say it was the physical aspect and the instinct that takes over with more game time on court. At the Worlds, they were returning to action after two months out due to Satwik’s shoulder injury. In the last week of May, they had ended a two-year wait for a BWF World Tour title by winning the Singapore Open. But Satwik’s shoulder injury recurred, and they had to retire midway through their first-round match in Indonesia and Japan. The focus then shifted to rehabilitation to get ready for the Worlds.

“It was much more difficult for us at the World Championships because we didn’t spend much time on court,” said Satwik.

“It was mainly the physical aspect that changed. After the Worlds, our body kind of settled down. We also got a week in between, and we were much better at adjusting because of the time we got.

“Even at the China Masters, we were not sure how much we would physically cope throughout the week, so we were taking one match at a time. But overall, we were pretty much comfortable. That’s a good sign,” said Satwik.

It is indeed a good sign, considering how frustrating it has been for them to be in and out of action this season. Chirag also had a back issue last year and wears a belt around his lower back in matches.

“When we played five matches at the China Masters, four of them went to three games, yet the body felt much better. Another week of practice going into the China Masters also helped,” says Chirag.

That said, Satwik is still not at his full flow and is restricting himself when it comes to the big smashes he used to pin down opponents. They were smart enough to use all their experience to play around that deficiency.

“Even without a weapon, we were playing at a high level. That’s a major takeaway for me,” said Satwik. “Even though I was not able to smash at 100 per cent, we were troubling top players, and that gave us a lot of confidence.”

They trusted their defence more in China, keeping the rallies going and backing themselves to create openings for scoring points. That is perhaps a game Satwik and Chirag are looking to build on as they try to keep themselves injury-free at this stage of their careers.

But it will not be easy in Japan where they will defend the title, having become the only Indian shuttlers to claim gold at the 2023 Hangzhou Games. Doubles is so fiercely contested, and the margin of error is so tiny that it can be anybody’s game. The world’s top three pairs will be there — South Korea’s Kim Won-ho/Seo Seung-jae, Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, and China’s Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang, who beat the Indians at home.

The Malaysians and the Japanese will also be a threat on home soil. Satwik-Chirag, the fourth-ranked pair, will need to be at their very best to recreate the magic of the 2023 Asian Games and do their little jig for Indian fans.