Until the advent of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, India’s doubles challenge at the international level never worthy of any serious consideration.

The hardworking Indian combo changed that perception by becoming World No. 1 in October 2023, winning gold at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, and capturing titles at the elite Super 1000 and Super 750 levels as well as the Asian Championships. They also contributed the vital point in India’s historic 3-0 triumph over defending champions Indonesia in the 2022 Thomas Cup final. It’s thus on the broad shoulders of Sat-Chi, as they are widely known, that India’s hopes of a medal in the World Badminton Championships, beginning in New Delhi on August 17, rest.