Badminton News: The Satwiksairaj Renkireddy / Chirag Shetty Pair Dominate the Opponent in Style Sometimes pairing two actives in the same ship can be counterproductive. But Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are each two meters tall, two peas from the same pod, writing their own stories.

Stumbling into the badminton lab of well-traveled Malaysian coach Tan Kim Her, the duo create buzz with a game based on brute force and dominate any opponent with powerful smashes and aggressive attacking play.

The Satwik-Chirag pair won the Korean Open title, their fourth title of the year; all eyes will of course be on the upcoming Japan Open

Indian badminton star duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty added a touch of solace to their celebrations after picking up a stunning victory at the Korea Open 2023.

Pairing two hard shots is always a risky proposition for any coach. But, in 2016, Tan Kim, India’s coach at the time, saw something no one else has seen.

For starters, it was the awe-inspiring sight of the two hulking executives across the pitch, immediately instilling fear in any opponent, which might have given Tan Kim the basic idea. But who said it would be easy? Satwik has been training at Pullela Gopichand Academy since 2014 while Chirag arrived in Hyderabad for the national camp in Mumbai. The shrewd Malaysian coach asked the two to work together for a few days before making a final decision.

When they won the Thailand Open in 2019, their first major in the Super-500, they beat world number one duo Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen of China en route to the title.

After that, there was nothing to stop them as they beat many better ground pairs with their offensive play. And last week, when Satwik set a Guinness World Record for the fastest badminton smash, smashing the shuttlecock at 565 km/h, few were surprised. There were also several smashes over 500 km/h at the Korea Open where Indian players dominated on Sunday.

But all of this can be a non-starter. Weaning a young Satwik from his childhood friend and first mate, Krishna Prasad Garaga can be an emotional upheaval. Fortunately, that was not the case.

For Chirag, it was the relative anonymity that accompanies the abandonment of individual sports that raised initial doubts. Plus, the greater demands that moving the house can bring. Again, thankfully, they were quickly expelled.

Hailing from Amalapuram in Andhra Pradesh, current super smasher Satwik started playing badminton at the age of six.

Father Kasi recalls, “I was the physical director and he started playing badminton with us when he was six. After winning the district under-10 title, we took him to the Visakhapatnam academy. But the coaches advised us to move to Gopichand Academy.”

Krishna Prasad is a family friend. “In fact, it was Krishna Prasad’s father who was most involved in their initial mentorship. Gangadhar used to treat Satwik like his own son, taking the two boys to tournaments, tending to their needs outside the ground,” Kasi said.

“Choosing Chirag was a very difficult decision,” he added.

“When Coach Tan wanted to pair Satwik and Chirag, we didn’t like it because Krishna was like family to us. But Mr. Gopi spoke to me. said you were giving it to India to win medals. Obey it, don’t get emotional,” Mr. Gopi told me. Reluctantly, we agreed and they became a classy couple.

While Satwik sacrificed the comfort of playing with his childhood friend, finding a new partner marked Chirag Shetty’s first step into doubles badminton. Likewise, it was a very difficult decision to make ten years ago when coach Uday Pawar told him to choose between singles and doubles.

Chirag does well in both categories, and the ultimatum leaves him in repair. Pawar was clear that the double would be better suited to his environment. “He has a natural talent for doubles, so I urged him to go for that,” Uday told TOI.

Like any youngster, Chirag is undecided at first. Not only him, Chandrasekhar’s father will not have it. He didn’t want his son to play in team competitions. “I want my son to excel in some individual sports because other factors don’t play much in individual matches. But it’s a decision for him and the coach to make,” Chandrasekhar’s father said.

“We sent him to the national camp in Hyderabad. Coach Kim Tan Her wants him to team up with Satwik and train in Hyderabad. We are against sending him to another city,” admits his father.

“It must have been a tough decision. He had to leave his partner Arjun while Satwik had to part ways with Krishna Prasad. But we preferred Satwik,” Chandrasekhar added. In fact, in several matches, Chirag and Arjun managed to defeat Satwik and Co.

The decision to move to Hyderabad and partner with Satwik has done wonders for both of them. With a rating of No. World No. 1 at your fingertips, nothing seems out of reach to take Indian sport by storm.

Article tags: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Tan Kim Her