Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been in phenomenal form. After two years of remarkable performances when they won the Thomas Cup, several World Tour titles and Asian Championships and Asian Games gold, the world no. 2 Indian duo made a rollicking start to a fresh season in 2024, the year of the Olympics, by making a runner-up finish at the Malaysia Open Super 1000.
Satwik and Chirag are now on the brink of reaching back-to-back finals at the India Open Super 750. When they play the semifinal in New Delhi on Saturday against their arch-nemesis Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, the Indian pair will not only be in contention for a place in the final but stands a chance to reclaim the world no. 1 rank from China's Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
As the expectations grew manifold, there were crucial questions of handling the pressure. Satwik and Chirag's coach Mathias Boe, the man who guided and oversaw the rise of the Indian pair, downplays it.
