Riding confidence would be one way to go about the next two years for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, but that is not sustainable, given how losses on Tour are bound to drag it down in a jiffy. What was broken at the Olympics – their spirit – can only be mended at the Olympics. But in the meantime, the bruised game can be patched back, so it doesn’t fritter a good week with a terrible finish – a 21-12, 25-23 loss to Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin at the Super 500 Thailand Open.
Their first final in 8 months after China Masters, was also about nerves, just like that straight sets loss to Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho in September of 2025. For a pair that used to pick titles easily, a mid-career crisis has hit, where some very solvable issues in their games need solving — technically.
Though when Satwik says problems are more mental than physical, he is not off the mark. His own confidence crisis is very clearly dating back to start of 2025 when things fell apart. The Thomas Cup bronze came at the right time. “We should believe more and be confident on court rather than playing 50-50. Before a year ago we used to be 90 percent confident. Maybe we are getting back that confidence. Happy how we played this week, but it’s more mental than physical,” Satwik said after a 53 minute decimation, from which there was nothing to salvage.
Daniel Marthin is considered Indonesia’s next big thing in world doubles, though he spent a good part of one year, recovering from a left knee injury – surgery, rehab, strengthening. Carnando is dependable, and reunited together and even when apart, they are considered top tier contenders. While most Indonesians can trouble with their parallel flat game, these two have an additional bonafide attack weapon in Marthin’s jump-smash. And Satwik-Chirag were not equipped for the double-whammy of an early fast shuttle forecourt exchange and the smashing from the back of the pair of 24-year-olds.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty at the medal ceremony with Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin after the Thailand Open final. (Badminton Photo)
Chirag had a poor day in the finals after a terrifically reliable one in the semis – and stringing together two straight good days is his challenge especially on the Friday-Saturday-Sunday stretch of quarters-semis & finals. Clownish insults about receiving them on return (they never said they wanted garlands) flew after the loss, more than flights take off from airports. So, making a good run count, matters.
But Chirag also looks in the middle of widening his repertoire – he went about trying to nail the backhand flicks changing the shuttle direction, rather disastrously. Atleast half a dozen of them sailed wide, leading to the early deficit that put them 8-13 down. Its not a shot he can avoid, so it just needs to be perfected. Even Satwik was dabbling at soft check shots, but both seemed to be snatching at the shuttle, besides confusion on defense as racquets clashed. Indonesians were bissecting them easily.
Perhaps the loudest applause the Indians earned was for two of Satwik’s successful challenges as the Indonesian shuttle missed the backline. But what started with miserable front court shuttle control, ended with poor returns of serve. Even that particular problem can be traced to November of 2023 when Liang-Wang of China beat them in the China Open final, to sow doubts heading into the Olympic year. Chirag will also need to recalibrate the distance he stands at receiving the serve.
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It is a mental issue too because on days the duo feel confident, they have navigated the first four shots phase without fuss, defeating both Liang-Wang and Aaron-Soh. But opponents know they can needle the Indians with it, and Satwik-Chirag know that their opponents know. Then, on some days, they collapse in puddles if the rivals stubbornly keep the shuttle low, and offer no lifts.
It’s the same for the Satwik serve. He can send 10 smart serves forth, and still botch 1, and if that one happens at a crucial juncture, it can undo all the good work. Nerves got to him on Sunday.
When they injected pace in the second, started hitting the shuttle higher, and refused to be bogged down by a style dictated by Carnando and Marthin, they were back in the game. Pushing their opponents back from the net is crucial, and though they found a way, it wasn’t with enough of a cushion. The nervous, tame lifts would return when things got tight – and Marthin was waiting to belt them down.
The Indians would save 5 match points but without counter-attacking, and always being backed into a corner.
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“Didn’t start off well… Shuttles were too fast …. they were trying to keep it low and we were always on the backfoot. Second game, we were taking shuttle quite higher and played some flicks as well. But in the end it wasn’t enough,” Chirag told BWF.
After Lakshya Sen’s All England loss and Ayush Shetty’s Asian Championships defeat, India finished with another title-miss. There’s an endurance deficit that needs looking into, for all. Satwik-Chirag will next play Singapore and Indonesia. Online trolls had threatened to go to the airport and click selfies with them to rub the loss into their faces. But once back at the academy, they will need to find solutions to their tall-person problems.
