Beyond the badminton bronze medal

Satwik-Chirag, India's leading badminton pair, remain resilient despite injuries and scrutiny

- Arun Janardhan

If Indian badminton is going through a low phase, collectively in the absence of titles, the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, 25, and Chirag Shetty, 28, is trying to break through the slump.

For the former world No.1 combination, currently ranked fourth, podium finishes (top 3 placings) have been common, but a title has remained elusive for two years. Most recently, they lost in the final of the Thailand Open that ended 17 May—the 2024 Thailand Open was their last title. In the final two weeks ago, Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin beat the Indian pair for the first time in four meetings, a match the Indians were expected to win, surprised to lose.

Just some days before that, India finished third in the Thomas Cup team event—in which Rankireddy-Shetty were India’s leading doubles pair. India had famously won the title as underdogs for the first time in 2022. A disappointing campaign followed in 2024. This year, again as underdogs but with the weighty tags of being former champions, the team scored a bronze medal.

“In 2022, no one expected us to go as far,” says Shetty. “This time, we were former champs and we had (mostly) the same team. No one expected us to go deep again. Our team was strong but on paper, others were stronger.”

The 2022 Thomas Cup win is a significant marker for Indian badminton, especially for Rankireddy-Shetty who were instrumental in the team’s success. Their next notable marker was the Paris 2024 Olympics, in which they lost in the quarter-finals. The period since has been testing, with injuries, personal losses and less than optimum results.