CHENNAI: It's fair to say that a year out from the 2024 Olympics, not a lot is right with Indian sports. Administrative issues, court cases, charges of sexual harassment, damaging doping problems, injuries... this inexhaustible list has meant the mood music has often been sombre, funereal even. Sure, there is Neeraj Chopra, still flexing his biceps and hurling the javelin into the evening sky with lots of success. Apart from him, though, it's all been fairly prosaic.
One team, though, continues to lift the music whenever they play — Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The arresting bandana, the energy they bring to the court and, of course, more importantly, the way they are redrawing the contours of their potential; of what's possible in the short and medium-term. If they can keep this run of theirs going — four titles this year and six successive wins after reaching the final — they could well leave with a shiny metal disc hanging around their necks in Paris in 12 months' time.
On Sunday, they left with gold after taking down the World No. 1 pairing of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto at a raucous Jinnam Stadium. Unlike some of the other finals they have won over the last three years — this went the distance and over an hour — they had to stage a fightback after suffering bit of a reality check in 19 chastening minutes soon after the match began.
The Indonesians showed why they were good, very, very good, and Sat-Chi kind of had no answers. When the scoreboard's bright neon lights said '13-19', it didn't flatter the Indonesians. They were doing most of the running, returning with interest and playing the angles. At 13-19, they may have as well shut down the game and looked to refocus. But they didn't do that.
Instead, they told themselves that the second game begins now. Sure, they lost the opening stanza 17-21 but it kind of conveyed the message across to the opponents. They were willing to get their hands dirty and prepared to win whatever it took.
The second game sort of gave a glimpse into what Sat-Chi are made of. They slowly but surely broke the Indonesians now. Both players have multiple weapons (smashes, wristwork at the net, defence, pulling opponents into awkward spaces and using the backcourt to work openings) these days and they are not shy to build points. They showed it to ease themselves into the lead. In that context, it was a game that most champion teams put together routinely to win matches: 4-4, 8-6, 11-8, 16-11 and 21-13.
This ability to construct solid games and play in third and fourth gear is what has led them to having a sort of a revelatory year in terms of winning the biggest matches. Earlier, they were an all-action team more used to going down in a blaze of glory (they were also full value whenever they used to takedown better ranked teams). These days, they are more professional; like a well-oiled unit.
It's what their regular coach Mathias Boe (he was not with them on Sunday but P Gopichand was passing on finer points from the touchline) had spoke about after they won the Indonesia Open in June. "I don’t think any country can rule us out if we play well," he had told this daily.
"These titles also come with some responsibilities. Nobody is going to give us anything. Everyone knows that it is difficult playing us. If we use this in the right way, it can be our advantage. If we use this in the wrong way, it can be a disadvantage. But, yeah, of course, they are contenders with the way they are playing right now. That’s just a super situation to be in. We will try to make the most of it and stay hungry." Forget staying hungry, they are developing a voracious appetite for hoarding up titles.
Minutes after the final, both Rankireddy and Shetty came back to court to do a passable impression of the Gangnam dance. There may not be much to dance about elsewhere but for these two, they are turning water into wine.