INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
If one is to name Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy as two of the most consistent active Indian athletes today, it won't be
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
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
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
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."
