As the first doubles team from India to win a Super 1000 event, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made history by winning the men’s doubles title at the Indonesia Open in Jakarta.
The Malaysian team of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yika were thoroughly defeated by the world No. 6 pair, who took home gold from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and bronze from the world championships the previous year. The current world champions were ousted by the Indians, who are also the Asian champions, in just under 43 minutes.
The World Championship bronze medal is obviously also very important. But the pair’s historic victory in the Indonesia Open is still significant because the “special victory” shows the phenomenal rise of doubles in Indian badminton and its ascent to global dominance, something that in the not-too-distant past, singles superstars like PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, and Kidambi Srikanth were tasked with.
Their partnership over the years
Satwik and Chirag have bagged a number of victories since their alliance, including the gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, the Thomas Cup, the bronze medal at the World Championships, and winnings in the Super 300 (Syed Modi), Super 500 (Thailand and India Open), and Super 750 (French Open). Gopichand believes that India’s standing in badminton has been reinforced by their victory.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) hired Malaysian doubles coach Tan Kim Her in 2015, and things started to change. He had been the one who urged Satwik and Chirag into forming a team. The achievement has also been attributed to BAI’s attempts to create a dynamic domestic framework with committed Indian coaches and support staff as well as international coaches training a particular group of players with a focus on fitness and nutrition.
Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty at Indonesia Open 2024. (Credits: BAI Media)
Olympic qualification year
In addition, keep in mind that this year is Olympic qualification year. Despite the fact that the Olympics are still more than a year away, the duo will now enter any competition as the prevalent to win the crown. Pullela Gopichand, the national badminton coach for India, spoke to PTI from Jakarta and said, “It is an important win on the global stage and the fact that it came in an Olympic qualification year means, they will get lots of points which will ease the pressure on them going into Paris.”
With a Super 1000 title in their pocket, Satwik and Chirag will now be expected to add an Asian Games and World Championship gold to their cabinet. “Last time it was a bronze at the World championships and I feel they have a good chance to win gold this time. Olympic Games, they will qualify, and their success is a great thing for the sport,” concluded Vimal.
