Hunger to win keeps us going: Chirag

Bengaluiru: ‘Hunger to keep winning tournaments and to never get ahead of yourself’ are the mantras that Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy agreed to adhere to during the early days of their partnership. 

And in their quest for excellence, the Indian badminton doubles specialists have captured five BWF tournaments besides becoming the first Indian pair to be ranked No. 1 in the world. 

“Well rankings don't really matter and we don't think about them too much,” said Chirag when quizzed about how it felt to be at the pinnacle of the sport. 

“Winning titles and performing consistently, especially in major events, is what me and Satwik aim for. But obviously, being the World No. 1 feels good,” he added. Chirag was in the city as the chief guest of a corporate badminton tournament in Koramangala. 

Traditionally, Indian badminton is mostly known for singles with doubles largely struggling. Except for a few exceptions (read as Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa), no pair from the country made significant impact on the international circuit until Satwik-Chirag arrived on the stage. 

“When I started playing doubles, the importance (for doubles) wasn't so much. I think, me and Satwik, we were the firsts in everything that we did. Even reaching a quarterfinal of a Super Series was a first by an Indian pair. 

“What was important for us was to not be satisfied with those achievements. The one thing that separates us from doubles players from the past is that we are never really satisfied. Even when people say 'you are the World No. 1 right now and what more can you ask for', our answer is 'hunger to win tournaments has still not died',” offered Chirag.

To achieve consistency at the highest level requires constant improvement. A quality that the duo understands well and credits national doubles coach Mathias Boe for solidifying their game. 

“What works to our advantage now is that both of us can play well in each other's roles. And we have improved our defence quite a bit since the inclusion of Mathias (Boe) in our team. Him being a part of our team was the gamechanger for us.” 

The new season’s Asian swing of tournaments kicked off a month ago. And the region being the powerhouse in the sport has fans attending in thousands each day that makes playing opponents in their home turf a tricky proposition. For example, a competitor is never playing a Chinese opponent on court in China but the entire crowd. Chirag said it is such matches that the duo looks forward to the most. 

“Yes, the most hostile crowds are in China and Indonesia. When we won the Indonesia Open we beat the then World No. 1s and home favourites Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in the quarterfinals. It was a packed stadium and we could barely hear anything. It was the same at the Asian Games in the finals of the team event where we beat the Chinese pair (in the second rubber). 

“As players, it gives you a different level of high when you are able to make the crowd go silent in their own backyard. Those wins are the most special,” he said.