On the opening day of India Open 2023, the Indian duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty delivered a dominant performance, defeating Scotland’s Grimley twins in straight games. The crowd at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall was on its feet as Chirag’s aggressive play and Satwik’s precision near the net proved to be too much for the Scottish brothers. Despite a bittersweet day for the Indian contingent, this duo’s performance served as a bright spot for the home crowd.
The Indian men’s badminton pair, consisting of Satwik and Chirag, had an outstanding 2022 season, winning two major titles, including a Super 750 tournament at the French Open. They also played a crucial role in India’s Thomas Cup victory, where they defeated the top Indonesian pairing of Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Mohammad Ahsan to give the team a 2-0 lead. Additionally, they won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and became the first Indian men’s doubles pair to earn a bronze at the BWF World Championships in August.
Rewinding to the previous year, 2021, the pair had high expectations for their performance at the Olympics, but unfortunately were eliminated on a technicality of a three-way tie. They also fell short of winning a medal at the World Championships, which left them feeling disappointed. Chirag reflected on this, saying, “I wouldn’t call it a new year resolution, but just before the year started in 2022, we played in the World Championships”.
At the start of 2022, Chirag and his partner had a clear goal in mind – to win medals at major events and multiple titles at the HSBC World Tour events. This motivation translated into their play during the year, resulting in several victories. However, the duo is now determined to surpass their 2022 achievements and break into the top-3 rankings.
“We have the capability to do even better”Chirag stated confidently at a press conference following their recent win.”Currently ranked at 5th, we want to add 3-4 more titles this year in order to break into the top-3. Our main goal is to win major events like the World Championships and the All England Championships. Additionally, the Asian Games and Olympic qualifications are also taking place this year, making it an important year for us”,said the 25-year-old Chirag.
‘Translating motivation into medals’: Satwik-Chirag eye breaking into top-3 after stellar 2022
