Shetty and Rankireddy rebound, and face crunch time
Indian badminton duo Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai, marking their return to form after an injury. The win comes at a critical time as they defend their world ranking of five and aim to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. Shetty and Rankireddy are the first Indian men's pairing to break into the top 10 of the world ranking, with seven other Indian pairs in the top 100. However, six of these pairs have seen their rankings slip in 2023, highlighting the competitiveness of world badminton.
Away from one of the tightest editions of the Indian Premier League, away from the turmoil in Indian wrestling, another Indian sporting success story has quietly resumed what has become normal service. Last weekend, the men’s doubles pairing of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai.
The win was significant for several reasons. It came at a critical juncture as they try to improve on, or hold on to, their world ranking of five. It was a statement the duo was back in flow, after an injury to Rankireddy in January first laid them low and then saw them endure a period of working their way back. At a larger level, it was a reminder to the badminton world of the depth that India, beyond its success in singles, has been building in men’s doubles, the current face of which are Shetty and Rankireddy.
Time of Reckoning
For the duo, this was the second win in 2023 after the Swiss Open in late March. But beyond that, in the remaining five tournaments this year, they suffered two exits in the round of 16 and two in the round of 32 — underwhelming results given that were at or near their highest-ever world ranking of 5.
This return to form and boost of confidence comes at a critical time for them. Rankings on the world badminton tour are calculated on the basis of results over a rolling 52-week period. The 10 best results during this period are considered to calculate cumulative points, and thus a ranking. For Shetty and Rankireddy, of their latest points tally of 75,606, they will be defending as much as 52%, covering five of their 10 best results, in the coming six months.
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Olympic Shot
The beginning of May also marked the year-long qualification cycle in badminton for the 2024 Olympics. The 16 pairs that will participate in men’s doubles in Paris will be determined on the basis of the results during this period. That means the pair has to stay fit and participate in an ample number of tournaments that are graded in the top two tiers.
For the purposes of ranking, badminton tournaments are assigned grades. The higher the grade, the more the number of points available. Thus, for example, Grade 1 events (World Championships and Olympic Games) fetch the winner 13,000 points. In comparison, a Grade 2 Super 300 event (like the Swiss Open, which the duo won) fetches the winner 7,000 points. The good news for Shetty and Rankireddy is that their high world ranking gives them automatic entry into the top-grade events; the last time they played a Grade 3 event was in 2019.
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Taking on the Best
The next stop for Shetty and Rankireddy is the Malaysia Masters, a Grade 2 Super 500 event, towards the end of May. While entry for the duo is easy, they still have to square up against the world’s best shuttlers and get the better of them. They would like to improve on their record against the world’s best pairings.
On a combined basis, Shetty and Rankireddy have a 15-24 losing record against the other nine pairings in the top 10 as of May 5. On an individual basis, they have a winning record against two pairings, an even record against three pairings, and a losing record against four pairings. At the Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai last week, the duo was seeded sixth, and improved on this record. They faced two top-10 opponents, and beat them both.
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Indian Surge
Shetty and Rankireddy represent a larger story unfolding in Indian badminton. They are the first Indian pairing on the men’s side to break into the top 10 of the world ranking. There are more waiting in the wings and looking to match, even emulate, them. At the end of 2022, besides Shetty and Rankireddy, there were another seven Indian men’s pairs in the top 100, led by MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila.
Unfortunately, in 2023 so far, six of these pairs have seen their rankings slip. That is one marker of how competitive world badminton can be. It also underscores the tall achievements of Shetty and Rankireddy. As they enter a critical year of defending big points from their world ranking, and trying to qualify for the 2024 Olympics, larger tests await them.
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