‘Two bodies, one soul’: Chemistry between me and Chirag is the advantage we have, says Satwiksairaj Rankireddy | Badminton News – Times of India

If one is to name Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy as two of the most consistent active Indian athletes today, it won’t be contested. If you win 8 of 10 finals you reach, you are in that league. That’s ‘Nadal-esque’, in Roland Garros terms.
An exit in the second round of the Thailand Open and a first-round defeat at Singapore Open was still rankling when Satwik and Chirag embarked on the trip to the Indonesia Open. No Indian pair had won a Super 1000 event before. It was not beyond World Championships bronze medallists Satwik and Chirag, but they didn’t have form on their side.
After an easy passage to the second round, the Chinese pair of He Ji Ting and Zhou Hao Dong tested the Indians in the pre-quarters. But Satwik-Chirag never let their opponents catch up before winning 21-17, 21-15.
A big test against the world No. 1 pair of home favourites Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto awaited the Indian duo next. But the crowd at Jakarta’s Istora Senayan Stadium was silenced in style by an attacking show by Satwik and Chirag. They cruised to the semis, winning 21-13, 21-13.
“When we won the quarterfinals, we felt it was a good chance for us to go as deep as possible,” said Satwik talking to Timesofindia.com.

In hindsight now, the semis against the unseeded South Koreans turned out to be the match that prepared the Indian pair for the final. Kang Min Heuk and Seo Seung Jae took the first game 21-17. But Satwik and Chirag found their attacking gear to win the next two games 21-19, 21-18.
“After the Thomas Cup victory, everything has changed for me and Chirag. We have that confidence that we can deliver on bigger stages. When we get a chance, we take that opportunity,” Satwik, one half of India’s 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallists, further told TimesofIndia.com.
Before winning the Indonesia Open final, Satwik and Chirag hadn’t beaten the Malaysians Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in eight meetings they had on the circuit. But the belief that developed after winning the quarterfinal showed in the Indian duo’s game.
Improvising, Satwik and Chirag never gave the Malaysians the pacy game that they were looking for and instead lured them into mistakes with open play.
It worked. The historic moment arrived in 43 minutes – 21-17, 21-18.

“We never let anyone (get) too much in our head, like world number one or number two. We don’t think so much while we are playing. I feel like everyone is the same. They also feel the pressure, we also feel the pressure. If we are world number three, we never think like ‘we are world number three, so we are winning this match anyway’. Same focus should be there all the time. We just go and have fun, especially this tournament, it was more fun,” said Satwik.
“It’s more about mentality. How badly you want to win, how strong you are there on the court, how focused…I would say our mindset has changed, and the belief. People (opponents) are respecting us. So you may get a few more extra points.”
The belief that was shaken a bit in Singapore and Thailand seems to have been restored. The Satwik-Chirag chemistry, something that no Indian men’s pair has been able to display before with such consistency, is back at its best.
In fact, Satwik pointed out that their chemistry is their “best point”.
“I think that understanding is the best point about me and Chirag….If you ask me, we gel on court very nicely compared to all other (teams)…We feel like there are two bodies and one soul on court while playing. The chemistry between me and Chirag, that’s the advantage we have,” said the 22-year-old shuttler from Andhra Pradesh.

At world No. 3, Satwik and Chirag are now closer to the view from the top of BWF rankings, having stayed in the top 10 for a considerable time.
Becoming number one is definitely a “dream”, but it’s not playing on their minds despite getting closer to the summit.
“Fingers crossed, soon,” said Satwik when asked if becoming world number one is a target. “Normally, as I said, we don’t think (about) numbers too much in our head. But it’s a dream to be world number one, one of our dreams.”