Commonwealth Games: Satwik-Chirag pair hopes to go the distance

Hyderabad: When the Indian doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won a silver at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in 2018, they were a rookie pair on the circuit. In the last four years, the pair established themselves as giant-killers. They have put in impressive performances, making them a bright medal prospect. […]

Hyderabad: When the Indian doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won a silver at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in 2018, they were a rookie pair on the circuit.

In the last four years, the pair established themselves as giant-killers. They have put in impressive performances, making them a bright medal prospect. In the run-up to the Birmingham Games, Satwik suffered a muscle tear during a tournament in Malaysia. However, he is back to full fitness and had a good training session before leaving for the Games. The duo is hoping to go the distance this time.

Speaking ahead of their departure, Satwik and Chirag said that the competition this time will be very high. “Our goal is to change the colour of the medal. Our focus is on winning gold. We had good matches after the Thomas Cup victory. Though I suffered an injury, I recovered three weeks ago and had good practice sessions under coach (Mathias) Boe. After CWG, we have the World Championships. So this month is important.”

Speaking on the mixed team event, he said, “I know after the Thomas Cup victory, the expectations are high. I am back to my full fitness and in the best shape. Being gold medallists in the mixed team event is a good feeling. It is not going to be easy like last time. The players from Malaysia are pretty good. Now, Singapore is also a good team. The competition will be tough for sure. We need to handle the pressure. We can”t take anything for granted.”

He also added the tag of defending champions doesn’t put them under pressure. “I don’t think so. Everyone is eager and ready to go. We are favorites in women’s and men’s singles. The doubles is also good now. Only the pair of Gayatri and Jolly are new in the team. With no expectations, they can go all out. We are not under pressure. Having played many tournaments, they don’t bother us anymore,” added the 21-year-old.

Meanwhile, his partner Chirag is confident of another good outing. “Winning gold is the target for us in the doubles. We will take one match at a time. It is quite tough I would say. There are quite a few good pairs. The Scottish, Singapore, Malaysians and English pair are good. It is not going to be easy. But our target is to go out there and give our best,” said the 25-year-old Mumbaikar.

When asked what changed since the last edition of CWG, he said, “Last time we were still a young pair in the circuit. This time, it is quite different. We have been established players for a couple of years now. We have experience on our side.”

Speaking on their chances of defending the mixed team god, he said, “Main target is to be the best versions of ourselves. And if we can do that and play to the best of our abilities and show the spirit that we showed in the Thomas Cup, we will deliver. The mood in the camp is pretty good. Everyone is charged up and ready to perform well here as well.”

On the competition, he added, “Last time too, Malaysians were favourites to win. This time too they are strong. But we are not taking pressure from being the defending champions. The way we played last time, if we play anything close to that, we will definitely win it.”