CHENNAI: In the middle of 2022, after the Indian badminton contingent had won the Thomas Cup for the first time in their history, doubles coach, Mathias Boe, allowed himself a quiet smile. The primary doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were finally converting their promise into results in front of a watching world. 2022, in fact, was an important year for the doubles pair, the newly minted World No. 5.
“It was definitely a game-changer for us,” says Shetty, back home after winning the Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai with partner Rankireddy. In his eyes, the pair are doing what their doubles coach, Boe, had challenged them to do: become the lions of the jungle, first among equals.
“Winning quarterfinals and semifinals is good but with the capabilities we have, we are meant for bigger things,” he tells this daily. “Winning the big medals is the target for Satwik and me. After the 2021 Olympics (lost in the group stage) and Worlds (lost in the third round), we wanted to change things. We didn’t want to settle for anything lesser than medals at the big events.”
Those two setbacks had a big effect on their then-nascent careers. At the Olympics, they beat the pair that went on to win the doubles title but they themselves finished third in the group stage. A few months later at the Worlds, in a physically draining match, they had chances to triumph but lost over three agonising games against Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi. In Dubai, they had managed to flip the tables against the same Malaysian pair in the finals over three agonising games to prevail 16-21, 21-17, 21-19. It’s a reflection of the path they are on. “We were in total disbelief that we were able to get back into the match as well as win the final in the manner we did,” Shetty says.
After fighting their way through the final, the emotion told its own story. “All three of us were in different parts of the court,” he smiles. “It was quite difficult for the camera person to get the reactions of all of us in one frame. I think that tells you that... we didn’t really know what to do.”
What, though, has really worked for them in this bull run from the start of 2022 is that they know exactly what they have to do, irrespective of the opposition they are facing. If they are facing World No. 50 one day, they are armed with one plan. If it’s World No 1, then there’s another plan. Shetty credits Boe for this. “Working with him has been a big boost for us,” he says.
“One thing that has worked is the way he plans our schedule in practice as well as tournaments. He sits with us, and discusses our opponents’ games, what they do and what they don’t do. So, when we enter the court, we have a good idea of what we need to do and what needs to be avoided. In that aspect, his inclusion has been a big boost for us. He first sees the opponent's matches, sees the kind of mistakes they make and then he points out the same to us. It makes our jobs a lot easier.”
Specifically on the last week in Dubai, Shetty says the idea was to take it one match at a time. “Take it one match at a time. The first two matches were quite good. We were able to get adjusted to the conditions. Then there was the (Mohammed) Ahsan (Hendra) Setiawan match (in the quarterfinals), I think it was one of the best matches we have played so far. Controlled the game throughout, didn’t really think we would be able to beat them in that scoreline. Think we played some really good badminton over the course of the week.”
Why does Shetty feel that that was one of the best matches they have played? “Usually both of us rely a lot on our power game, but this time we played a game they are very good at and we sort of beat them at their game itself. Really happy we could pull it off in that style.” Their next target is in line with the stated objectives the coach has set for the team. Medals at the Sudirman Cup, Asian Games and Worlds. You wouldn’t bet against them.