We don’t fear Chinese, Koreans or Japanese; they might be thinking, ‘Oh sh*t, we are playing Chirag and Satwik’

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the prestigious Indonesian Open last month, and are touted to bring in more medals come the World Championships, Asian Games or the Paris Olympic Games. The World No 3 Indian pairing from Amalapuram and Mumbai have been breaking new ground in a country that’s predominantly known for singles shuttlers, and are great entertainers on court while at it.Mihir Vasavda: How has the journey been of navigating through the world of men’s doubles?Chirag: It’s been a great, few weeks, months or even years. Our aim has not been to be the best only in India. We have never been satisfied with being the first Indian pair to do so, being the best Indians to do so across categories. Our aim is to be the best in the world and to be regarded as the best to have played the game.
Looking at our capability, we can definitely do that. I think that is one of the driving forces. And that is one of the reasons that our happiness only lasts till the moment we get off the podium. Once we are off that podium, we look forward to being on another podium.
Mihir Vasavda: How did your pairing work early on and what was the reason you guys were paired up?
Satwik: Initially, it was tough, Krishna (Prasad) and I were doing well in the senior level. We were beating senior players and even Chirag and Arjun were doing better. We thought “why the coach was splitting us up? We are comfortable with our own partners.” Because especially for me, I was more comfortable with a Telugu guy and he (Krishna) was a home town guy so I knew him very well. And he plays front court and I play back court. We had a good understanding so I thought it (splitting up) wasn’t a good idea.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in action during the Tata International tournament held at CCI in 2016. (Express photo Kevin DSouza.
I had a talk (with the coach) and he said, “No, no, you have to change if you want to be world level players.” Initially when we paired up, it was quite difficult. There was confusion over our positions on who will play front court. And I was playing mixed doubles too. Then Chirag took charge and he worked on it.
Chirag: Both of us are from very different backgrounds. Our upbringing is different, our language is different. It was obviously very difficult initially for the both of us to converse but our then coach Tan Kim Her used to say, “When you are partners, you are like a married couple. There will be problems between the two of you. Something the other partner wants, you may not like. But you are a team and you need to be together and accept the good and the bad.”
Mihir Vasavda: You mentioned the language barrier. We understand on court, it’s just the flow and the rhythm but still, in early days how did you guys converse?
Satwik: It was tough. Normally when I used to play with my ex-partner, I used to use Telugu words while playing. When I started playing with Chirag, I had to think for one second “Ok, Hindi mein kya bolna hain,” “Haan bhai, aage ja”. It was quite tough for me to think what I should say. Is this the correct word? With Krishna, it was so easy, it used to come naturally. Later on, it (partnership with Chirag) became much easier.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty after claiming India’s first-ever Super 1000 title at the Indonesian Open in June 2023. (Photo: BWF via BAI)
Shivani Naik: Can you describe playing at the ora, it’s an iconic venue, you have won there but how crazy is the noise, how was it to play the final over there? Or to play in the quarterfinals over there where you beat the Indonesians?
Satwik: I think the final was 50-50. They were supporting us as well as the Malaysians but the semifinals was 10,000 people to 5. Only me, Chirag, coach, Gopi sir and our trainer are supporting us. The others were all supporting the Koreans. I don’t know if they watched Korean dramas or something but they were supporting the Korean guys.
In quarterfinals, the same situation. When we entered and they announced our names, the crowd was booing all the time. It was mentally challenging because the crowd was so noisy and we couldn’t hear what our coach was saying. Sometimes, we couldn’t even hear what our partner was saying. So it’s always fun playing in ora and winning there is one of the biggest things.
Shivani Naik: Has Mathias Boe ever scolded you guys or screamed at you? Whether it’s during training session, or even during matches?
Satwik: I don’t remember him ever shouting seriously. He says (things) like ‘Get ready guys. Come on. Come on. Don’t be passive’ He never scolds but he shouts sometimes. On court he shouts sometimes just asking us to be ready, just like a wakeup call.
So, we can feel some different vibrations at those time, when he is saying that and motivating us so we will get ready to give our best. It is not a soft corner kind of shouting but more motivation. So apart from that, he never scolds us after the match.
Mathias Boe (right) has been a constant presence the side of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. (PHOTO: BWF via BAI)
Shivani Naik: You were 0-8 (against Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik) going into that final. What was going through your mind because that overwhelming head-to-head static was what we were all talking about?
Satwik: That day I felt really comfortable. I felt like I’m playing with new opponents. There wasn’t any head-to-head in my mind because the situation was different. We never played in finals with them. We played quarterfinals and maximum semifinals. In the final, the pressure will be more for both teams, rather than just us.
I watched videos playing in World Championship semifinals (they lost in three tight games last year), how we played with them. We were so close. I watched that match before going into the final. I saw how they were playing, how many makes they were making, how much pressure they can take. I thought they will be under pressure, like more pressure for them, not for us, we would just go out and enjoy.
In my mind, I never thought it (head-to-head) is eight-zero. I thought it is zero-zero and I am playing with a new opponent, there is nothing to worry, just go and have fun. So, it didn’t get into my head.
Nihal Koshie: Satwik is supposed to be calmer and more composed. And Chirag a little more emotional. How does this play out between points and in the partnership between both of you?
Chirag: Well, I think it’s the story of ice and fire. If I can put it that way. I’m the one who is a lot more aggressive, whereas Satwik is a lot calmer, like ice. I think that plays out quite well. For the both of us. I think our approach to the game is the same, like we think alike about what we want to do and how we need to score points. But our personalities on court are very, very different.
Chirag Shetty says he’s the one who is more aggressive while partner Satwik is a lot calmer. (PHOTO: AP/PTI)
I feel I play a lot better when I am more aggressive out there. And whereas Satwik plays a lot better when he has his composure. He’s extremely cool. I think it complements each other really well. And I think that is one of the reasons why we’ve had some good performances.
Satwik: I would say we are kind of like Nadal and Federer. I’m a fan of Federer, Chirag loves Nadal. So that style, like I like to be calm. Sometimes I try to be aggressive, but I can’t (laughs). Chirag is different. He just won’t give up. Like Nadal, he will keep on fighting for the point. Dive from here to there, keep the point alive, move all over the court. I look at him and think: ‘Kidha jaa raha hai Shetty bhai? Kidhar kood raha hai? (Where are you going Shetty bhai? Jumping here and there?)’
Nihal Koshie: Mathias Boe keeps noting down things in a book during the game…
Chirag: I think the thing that he writes in the books are probably our makes or probably what the opponents have been doing quite regularly. Usually, he will write down all the key points before we enter the court and tells us what we need to look forward to, and what are the things we need to keep in mind – about our opponent and also about ourselves. He pretty much just writes down the tactics for the match.
Sriram Veera: There’s a story about you Satwik that when you were a kid, your father was in the stands for the 2009 World Championships in Hyderabad. At that time, China’s men’s doubles player Fu Haifeng (who has won two Olympic golds and four World titles) threw his racquet (a Li Ning Turbo Charging N9) into the stands and your father caught it and brought it home. Do you still have that racquet, and did that moment in any way help you as a kid?
Satwik: That was a turning point for me. My father was an umpire for BWF tournaments in 2009. That’s why he was at the Gachibowli Stadium. He finished officiating his assigned matches and was sitting in the stands for the men’s doubles game. He was sitting among the Chinese fans when Fu threw the racquet, and my dad, being tall, leapt and caught it.
Back then I didn’t know who it was. My father just told me it was from a Chinese doubles player. So I started using that racquet to play. I used it for almost four years. Then I joined an academy. that time, the racquet had broken while playing. So I don’t have it anymore. From there I think I got some genes, racquet power! Fu used to be known as an attacking player and one of the hardest smashers.
Sriram Veera: Did you ever meet Fu Haifeng after you started playing on the international circuit?
Satwik: We played each other in the men’s doubles. But at that time, we didn’t really speak. They don’t really speak English. He’s a legend, one of the biggest players in the world, so we only exchanged hi’s and and hello’s from a dance. Nothing else.
Sriram Veera: So you never told him you had a racquet of his?
Satwik: No, not really.
Despite a hostile Indonesian crowd, which was against the Indian pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the Indonesia Open title. (PHOTO: BWF via BAI)
Amit Kamath: Satwik you spoke about how the crowd was supporting the Koreans in the semi-finals. As a pair, do you guys thrive off that energy that someone is ‘hating’ on you or do you like to be liked?
Satwik: For us, we always like to play with crowds. We like to prove what we are capable of. And especially in Indonesia, we wanted to do well after that Thomas Cup victory. A lot of people call us ‘Kings of delay’ in Instagram comments. When we entered the tournament, they were booing us all the time. I was watching the Indonesian opponent and laughing thinking, ‘Tereko bataunga aaj ruk ja’ (I’ll show you today, wait and watch).
Nobody was cheering for us. When I would ask the umpire for the mop for the court, everyone would jeer us and say that we were wasting time. We always play better when we have the crowd going against us.
Amit Kamath: This is the era of a lot of players getting hate on social media. Do you guys pay attention to that or do you guys have a way to block that out?
Chirag: It affects you in some sort of way. When you win, everyone says you’re the best and invincible. The moment you lose, they are like ‘You need to buck up’, ‘You cannot serve, you cannot smash’.
Satwik: Badminton khelna nahi aata hai (laughs)
Chirag: I laugh at a lot of those comments. Especially during the Sudirman Cup. All of us were quite dejected. One thing we bonded on was the comments section. Everyone was laughing because most of the comments were very stupid and quite laughable. I think we usually have a good laugh over it.
Shivani Naik: Can you both talk about your style of celebration?
Chirag: This time around, after that last point I just fell down on the court because they had sort of come close. We were leading 14-20 and at that point the Malaysians had a lucky net cord. From then, there were 2-3 points where they served quite well. At 18-20, we managed to get through that phase and started a rally. Eventually when we got that point – it was about to hit the net, but fell on their side of the court – I just fell down and had no clue what was going on.
When Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty win, they are known to let loose on the court.
Within seconds I then leapt on to Satwik – and thank God for his strong hands for being able to handle my weight and taking me around the court. I have this thing I’ve started since the Thomas Cup where I remove my tshirt and throw it into the crowd. It’s become a regular thing that I do now.
Satwik: The celebrations started from the Thomas Cup victory. From there it came naturally. Chirag removes his shirt and I dance – it comes naturally for us.
Sandeep Dwivedi: Satwik, after the Thomas Cup win, you guys were dancing on the court. Where did that whole confidence of taking the music to the court come from?
Satwik: As Chirag said, it’s the belief inside. So, we believe in ourselves that we can do wonders. It’s not only about us. It’s the people surrounding us, the coaches, everyone. About the celebrations, personally, I’m more of a ‘dance guy’. Once I hear drums being played, my legs just start moving (laughs).
For the final, I think someone from our team arranged for the drums. I couldn’t control myself. Chirag removed his t-shirt and we just let go. We wanted to do that Naatu Naatu dance but didn’t want to promote any movie as such. Maybe soon we’ll do it.
Sandeep Dwivedi: The in-your-face attitude that you guys have on court is so different from players of previous generations, I am talking about all Indian athletes. You guys don’t get intimidated or overawed the crowd. Do you see that change happening across sports?
Chirag: Yeah, definitely. There has been a generational shift in the way we approach a match as well as off-the-field. If you compare a Sunil Gavaskar to a Sachin Tendulkar and now a Virat Kohli, there’s definitely been a change.
When we used to go for the junior tournaments, our attitude was similar to the one you probably might have seen in 1983, as shown in the 83 movie, where they were like let’s go out for a meal, waise bhi jaake haarna hai.
In our junior days, a lot of our colleagues’ attitude was similar to that because they would be like, ‘oh shit, we are playing the Chinese or Korean or Japanese and we don’t really stand a chance against them. So we’ll just enjoy and roam around the city’. But now, as I look back, there’s been a shift.
For us, if we look at the Chinese or Korean or Japanese players, we don’t fear them and be like ‘oh shit, we are playing them.’ I think they might be thinking, ‘oh shit, we are playing Chirag and Satwik.’ So there’s been a shift in the way we approach a match and I hope kids in the coming generation don’t fear players from these countries because the performance Indian badminton has had, we are a powerhouse as well. And we shouldn’t think of them being much stronger than we are.
Sriram Veera: How did the shift happen? Was there any moment when you sat and talked about it?
Chirag: As we kept on winning, we saw the potential in us. I won’t say Satwik and I are the best doubles pair India has produced. Probably we are the best in terms of performance but there have been a lot of players who have been much more talented than us. Like the way, they controlled the shuttle at the net and backcourt. I think there have been a lot of players who were much better but I think the difference between them and us is we had the belief in ourselves. But they didn’t. ‘Aaj China ke sath khel rahe hai, hmm let’s go out there and see what happens. Agar kuch nahi hua , then we will just roam around the city’. But they never believed that they can beat them and are much better. So the coaches we have had over the years have instilled confidence in us. Even Tan coach and Mathias right now keep telling us that you are meant for greater things, so never be satisfied with these results. This is just a stepping stone and there are bigger things to be achieved.