A major reason for India’s recent achievements in badminton has been the rise of the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The duo had a significant role in the country’s historic Thomas Cup triumph in 2022.
Not only has the pair been consistent on the BWF World Tour, clinching titles from Super 100 to Super 1000 level, but it has also been to places where no other Indian men’s doubles team has gone before – a World Championships bronze, an Asian Games gold, Asian Championships title and to top it all, the World No. 1 ranking too.
However, at the Paris Olympics, the Indian duo will face stiff challenges. Here are the key challengers Satwik-Chirag will have to overcome in their quest for a maiden Olympic medal.
Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Indonesia)
Fajar Alfian (R) and Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia.
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Fajar Alfian (R) and Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia.
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Satwik-Chirag have faced Alfian-Ardianto five times. The former holds a slight 3-2 edge against the Indonesian pair. The last time the two pairs clashed, the Indians won 17-21, 21-13, 21-14 to clinch the Korea Open 2023 title.
The Asian Games gold medallist duo will face the world number seven Indonesian pair in its third Group C match.
Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang (China)
China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
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SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
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SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, the top-seeded Chinese duo, holds a 5-1 advantage against the Indians.
The last time the two pairs met was in the Thomas Cup 2024 quarterfinal between India and China where Satwik-Chirag lost 15-21, 21-11, 12-21 to Liang-Wang.
The sole win for Satwik-Chirag came in the Korean Open 2023 semifinal, where they beat them in straight games: 21-15, 24-22.
The two pairs will not meet each other until the knockout rounds, which is subject to qualification.
Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (Denmark)
Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark.
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Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark.
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Getty Images
Other than the Chinese pair, the Danish duo of Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen could prove to be a big challenge for the Indians. Out of the nine meetings between the two pairs, the Danish duo has won six.
The last time the two pairs faced each other was at the 2024 India Open quarterfinals which the Indians 21-7, 21-10.
The two pairs will not meet each other until the knockout rounds, which is subject to qualification.
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