Brothers of Destruction: With growing belief and respect, Satwik and Chirag hungry for more glory

In front of a packed house that was predominantly rooting for the local favourites, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were down 3-10 in the deciding game of the China Masters final in Shenzhen.

Their hopes of a comeback after having won the second game looked bleak as World No.1 Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang were “flying on the court” and putting pressure on the Indian pair.

And that’s when the famous ‘never-say-die’ attitude kicked in, something that coach Mathias Boe has instilled in the two prodigiously talented Indian shuttlers. The scorecard read 10-19, but Satwik and Chirag hadn’t given up. As many as 6 Championship points were saved. The pressure was being put back on the World No. 1 pair.

However, It was not meant to be for Satwik and Chirag on Sunday in Shenzhen as the local pair went on to win the final 19-21, 21-18, 19-21.

“Well, I think, obviously it’s not the best feeling to haveâ€æ but yeah, I think the way we have been playing, it’s a positive sign. Yes, we didn’t have a couple of good tournaments after the Asian Games, we went out in the 2nd round in the French Open and the first round at the Japan Masters. And then to come out and play a final, I think it was an encouraging result. So, not completely satisfied that we couldn’t win that title. But overall, a really good year. A lot of things ticked,” Chirag Shetty told indiatoday.in, reflecting on what was a bittersweet ending to a dream season for the top-ranked Indian doubles duo.

There was a sense of disappointment as Satwik and Chirag are expected to win these days, win big tournaments, beat the best in the final and show the world that they are the best.

40-13 win-loss record. 5 titles, including India’s first-ever Gold medal at the Asian Games and the prestigious Super 1000 title in Indonesia. 2023 has been a landmark year for Satwik and Chirag as they scripted history by also reaching the summit of men’s doubles badminton (BWF) rankings.

“Brothers of destruction,” they are fondly called in the badminton circles. Sat-Chi has turned into a winning machine, mentality monsters. At 23 and 26, Satwik and Chirag have shown the world that they are here to stay. Ask anyone who picks medal probables for the Paris Olympics next year, Satwik and Chirag will definitely feature in his/her list.

Yes, the titles started coming the young pair’s way in 2018. They won a Super 500 title in 2019 and also reached a Super 750 final in the same year. However, it’s the consistency and the belief that they have shown ever since the historic Thomas Cup victory have been remarkable, to say the least.

In fact, the China Masters final was the first summit clash Satwik and Chirag lost since the start of 2022.

Satwik, who is a towering presence on the court, believes that the opposition players are no longer taking them lightly. The youngster the respect for ‘Sat-Chi’ can be seen in the body language of the two men on the opposition site of the net.

“Comparatively, things have changed. People do respect us more. They can sense it… like we are not here to just play, but here to damage their chances,” Satwik said.

“Before two years, we weren’t really confident about ourselves. We did not believe that we would be able to win big, big tournaments.

“But, it slowly changed after winning the Thomas Cup that we can win big tournaments. Things fell into place after the Thomas Cup. We started getting more and more confident and whenever we play a final, we give more than our 100 percent without taking any pressure.

“We always play well in the final. Even yesterday, we were down in the third game, but we came back and it was a case of one point here and there in the end.

“Compared to before, people do respect us more and they don’t take it easily against us,” he added.

‘IT’S A TEAM SPORT’
The off-field camaraderie plays a key role in Satwik and Chirag’s success on the court. Satwik is from Andhra Pradesh, while Chirag is a Mumbai boy. It was not easy for Satwik and Chirag, who had come up against each other a few times in the junior level, to get their partnership working from the word go. Both players loved playing from the back of the court. Language was also a bit of a concern in their early days as a pair.

But, with time, things started falling into place.

Chirag becoming a more ‘Telugish’ person seems to have certainly helped!

“Now he has become a little bit of Teluguish guy. Now he is staying in Hyderabad a lot of time. Now he can understand me well. Even I have got to know him well. We both see each other every day. We have been together for a very long time,” Satwik said.

Chirag understands the dynamics of doubles badminton. Being in sync and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of his partner is crucial to success and the Mumbai shuttler believes that it’s more like a team sport.

“I think doubles is more like a team sport. It’s not just one person, but there are two people involved. You really need to think about what the other person is also thinking. Analayse what are the strengths and weaknesses of not just you but also your partner, and you need to be in tandem together.

“You need to be accommodating. You need to help your partner if he is not in the best form. So I think it’s a very different ball game altogether as compared to singles,” he added.

On days, both of them, or at least, one of them is not at their 100 percent. And the art of managing their bodies is a big learning from the highs and, a bit of, lows, in 2023.

“Both of us are never at 100 percent at the same time. I am talking about fitness. Mentally, we are always at our best, at our 100 percent. If we are playing back-to-back tournaments, it is kind of very difficult. If you look at the China Masters final, we were not, but if you look at the Chinese, they were flying all over the court. If you see us in other tournaments, we did that.

“That’s how it is. Compared to before, it’s much better now. We found a way to adjust. We kind of understand our bodies better. We manage our bodies well. It was very good lessons learned this year on how to manage our bodies,” Satwik added.

MENTOR MATHIAS BOE

The addition of Danish great Mathias Boe has been a blessing. A Thomas Cup winner himself, the London Olympic silver medalist has helped Satwik and Chirag understand the simple recipe to success – consistency. Losing is not a problem, but going down without a fight is are Mathias’s words. The Dane has even tried to learn a few phrases in Hindi and they have come in handy at crunch moments.

Boe punching the air in delight while his boys bring out the dance moves on the court after title victories is becoming a common occurrence on the circuit these days.

“Mathias, when he got in, he helped us become a lot more consistent. The performances we were doing in, let’s say, 2 tournaments out of 7 tournaments, we have been able to do that in 4 or 5 tournaments now. So I think that consistency bit, he has really brought in the change in our game,” Satwik said.

Matthias is a taskmaster, no doubt. Satwik and Chirag say they only have ‘on-duty’ off days with the badminton schedule getting more and more rigorous.

“There is no off-day. The schedule is so packed that, we are in contact every other day. Even if you are on your holiday, which we have not been for the longest time, it will be like an ‘on-duty’ holiday. It’s like OD. You are never like resting at home and sleeping.

“You will get a message from your partner, you will get a message from your physio. Our coach Mathias (Boe) keeps track of what we did every single day,” they said.

PARIS OLYMPICS DREAMS
2024 is going to be huge, but Satwik and Chirag know that all they do is keep following the processes that have brought them this far.

Satwik and Chirag defeated the eventual Gold medalists in the group stage but they bowed out by the barest of margins in Tokyo.

Can they go the distance in Paris?

“I feel it’s destiny. All you can do is hard work and give your 100 percent. All you can do is prepare well, use the experience from the last edition and do well. And don’t think so much.

“Obviously, there will be a lot of expectations on us. But, we have always loved playing in pressure situations. We are used to it. You have to keep your consistency, you have to be 100 percent on each day. It all comes from the preparation. We are looking to go there and have fun,” Satwik said.