There’s many a slip twixt cup and lip! Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will vouch for that. When the doubles pair was leading the decider 10-3 in the Malaysia Open final on Sunday, it was unfathomable that the wheels would come off somehow.
Make no mistake, they didn’t lose on the skill front. They were beaten tactically by Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang. The Chinese pair proved not for nothing were they the world’s number one. Plus, they had the mental advantage of dominating the Indian pair in the past more often than not. Before Sunday’s contest, they had beaten the Indians three times. Just once they had been on the losing side. So one can say the Indians lost not just on the tactical but also on the mental front.
Expectations were high though, of Satwik and Chirag. They themselves are the world’s number two and in recent years they have achieved extraordinary feats. Last year, they had claimed the men’s doubles event at the Asian Championships in Dubai. India had never done it before in men’s doubles. More than five decades ago, they had won a doubles medal but that was only a bronze.
The year before they were part of the Thomas Cup-winning team in Bangkok, Thailand. That was another first. For the first time in the history of the hallowed competition, the men’s Indian team played in the final and dispatched a much-fancied opposition in Indonesia. Satwik and Chirag played their role to a tee in the final showdown. They came back from four match points down to put their country into a 2-0 lead.
Not long ago in October 2023, they had won India’s first badminton gold in the Asian Games, following which they became the first Indian pair to become the world’s number one.
There have been other firsts too!
In light of these successes, fans can’t be blamed for expecting the pair to win in Malaysia. The last time the Indians were against the Chinese pair was at the China Masters final in November last year and they lost a three-game thriller. The only time the Indians have won against the Chinese pair… it was at the 2023 Korea Open where they emerged victorious following a 21-15 24-22 win in the semi-final in July. On the previous two occasions at the 2023 All England Open (Round of 16) and in the previous edition of the Malaysia Open (semis), the Chinese had again come out on top in thrilling encounters. All three defeats were close calls. That’s why heading into the 2024 Malaysia Open final, many thought the Indians had a chance. That they were itching to get their own back on their opponents.
But the Chinese pair had come prepared and were not rattled even though the Indians started very well by winning the first game one-sidedly 21-9. So they had started pretty much in a similar fashion as they had done in Korea. There, they should have put their foot down, but a lot of unforced errors on their part allowed the Chinese pair to get back into the contest. If truth be told, the way the Indians won the first game, it was their match to lose. The Chinese lay low and bid their time and one unforced error after another from the Indians – particularly at crucial junctures – miraculously turned the contest around in their favour and they should be credited for being patient all through and sticking to their tactics.
Indian fans are rightly disappointed. The Malaysia Open final was a great opportunity for them to set things right and they did come close; just that they couldn’t provide the coup de grace. The way they surrendered in the decider after leading 10-3 particularly broke hearts.
But it’s not the end of the world. Both are still young and continue on the learning curve. They would have learnt a lot particularly from this defeat. That it’s not over till it’s over. Sometimes a defeat like this lays the groundwork for many future wins. The good thing for both of them is there is not much time to mope since the India Open kicks off tomorrow at New Delhi’s KD Jadhav Indoor Hall. Winning the home event is now all the more important for them. Having failed to win in Malaysia by a whisker, winning the India Open is the need of the hour. The balm they need! They have done it before in 2022 and there is no reason why they can’t turn the clock back two years later.
