Satwik-Chirag First Medalists in World Championship

Redemption is the word for India’s top badminton doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The Asian Games gold medallists became the first Indian pair in history to clinch a medal in the World Championships. Their straight game win over Malaysian two-time Olympic medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the quarter finals was sweet revenge in more than one way.

For exactly a year ago at the same venue, the Adidas Arena in Paris, the Indian duo had heartbreak while going down to the Malaysian pair. The crack Indian pair had been battling a litany of injuries, loss of form, and confidence --which makes this bronze medal all the more special. The Indian duo fought valiantly before going down to the Chinese duo of Chen Boyang and Liu Yi in the semi-finals late night on August 30.

Speaking to First Draft, after their victory in the quarter-finals Chirag, senior of the two, said the win over the Malaysian pair was like breaking the glass. “We had a major heartbreak when we lost to them at the Olympics in the same arena. In fact, just before the match we discussed amongst ourselves that we had to defeat them this time. You will be surprised to hear us say that turning the tables on them was a bigger priority than winning a medal,” he said, underscoring the magnitude of the defeat at the Paris Olympics.

“That defeat rankled us so much that for almost a month after that we rarely even went to practice. We were the overwhelming favourites for the gold at the Paris Olympics, and somehow just could not take the defeat in our stride. It took a long time for us to reset things and get back our focus,” Chirag said.

For Satwik and Chirag, 2024 and the major part of 2025 was a bad year – performance wise. They failed to win a single tournament during this time and their rankings also went down. More bad tidings were in store as both Chirag and Satwik developed injuries immediately after India Open in January this year. While Satwik had a back problem. Chirag had developed some breathing problems—which kept the duo out of action for nearly three months.

Reminiscing on those three months, Chirag felt that in hindsight it was important they got a break to recharge their batteries. “Those injuries ironically did a world of good for us. For one, we were able to switch off from the game and concentrate on other things. I rediscovered my reading habit which I had completely given up for 4 years. Nothing serious, but light fiction—more importantly it taught me there was a world outside badminton,” he said.

“Even for Satwik. I think he took to playing guitar.  This was a habit which he had completely given up ever since he became a badminton pro. So, we were very refreshed and totally rejuvenated when he returned to the tour after our injuries,” said Chirag. Game wise also, Chirag and Satwik had polished off some of the rust in their game during their recuperation.

 “Satwik, whose booming smash was the cornerstone of their success, developed some new angles as he decided to cut down on his power. “His smashes, even though powerful, were becoming predictable for opponents to read. So, he started to go more for the angles hitting the sidelines—something of a surprise factor for our opponents at the World Championships. Of course, he had the sledgehammer smash but mixed it up very well with the half smashes,” said Chirag.

On his part, Chirag also made some adjustments in his game. His expertise is at the net where his net clinging dribbles are just too much for his opponents to handle. He also worked and improved upon the flat parallel exchanges and thus added a very important arsenal to his ultra defensive game. All these changes made them all the more formidable as their campaign at the World Championships in Paris proved.  

Chirag also said that the duo would be taking a minor break after the World Championships. “We will be skipping the Asian Tour and concentrate on the European tour which commences with the Denmark Super Series in the first week of October. Till then, we will be taking a well-deserved break,” he said.