There was a time in the mid and late 2000s when only one notable doubles pair in badminton came out from India — V Diju and Jwala Gutta, who rose to WR-6 in mixed doubles. Then in the next decade, it was Jwala again, this time with Ashwini Ponnappa in the women’s doubles, who brought the first doubles World Championship medal for the country. And now, fast forward to the current decade, we have Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in men’s doubles, who have won almost every other prize possible, and also attained the WR-1 recently.
In between Sumeeth Reddy/Manu Attri, Sikki Reddy/Pranaav Jerry Chopra too rose to a bit of prominence, but other than that, if any other pairs are missed in this list, perhaps they didn’t reach that level at all. For a country, that claims to be a powerhouse in badminton..to have such few doubles pairs of repute and class, it screams and signals at something really WRONGGGG! Something that has not been addressed to date, and something that might not be addressed shortly.
In an Olympic qualification year, where India should be looking at sending two pairs in each doubles category, we just seem to be banking on Satwik-Chirag to deliver a medal, with Treesa-Gayatri qualification being looked at as a bonus, if at all that happens. China is almost certain to send two teams in men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. So are Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea. So why is India lacking, and why are we forced to ask this question, once again in 2023?
It is not like, the cry for help to the doubles badminton in India is new or unheard of. Time and again, players, ex-players, experts, and fans, have all called for the betterment of doubles badminton in India. But where the mystery actually lies is a question no one can answer aptly. A doubles player of repute in India tried solving the puzzle, on condition of anonymity.
“Barring Satwik-Chirag there isn’t anyone at the moment,” the player told Insidesport. Back in 2022, we won the Thomas Cup, and that was because we had one solid pair. In women’s doubles, Tressa-Gayatri did impress a bit but have fizzled out now due to injuries. The overall doubles badminton graph is down for us, and it’s a worrisome situation.”
One of the factors that the player discussed was also the absence of foreign coaches. Of course, Mathias Boe is there but largely takes care of Satwik-Chirag. The departure of Tan Kim Her a few years back has left a big void. “Frankly, a good foreign coach is what the entire team lacks. Back in the day, when Tan was there he would take care of all the top pairs. That was the period we saw decent growth as well. He was the one who got Satwik-Chirag together. He also got Sikki-Ashwini together. So that is something we badly need,” the player continued.
“Forget that. It is only at the National Center where there is a specialized doubles coach, otherwise, players don’t have such luxury.”
Despite having the best of facilities at their disposal, it might just be the lack of vision that could be hampering our chances in doubles. Clubbing all the small issues together, it puts our players behind by years as compared to the other nations, and that gap can somehow never be bridged. But then what’s worse is, these issues seem to have been forgotten for now. The rise of Satwik-Chirag, though glorious, has brought in a sense of complacency and the problems are not being addressed the way should be.
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“It’s actually great to have Satwik-Chirag rise to a position where they are today. But then despite their rise, all the others are still struggling. The results are for everyone to see. Not blaming here anyone, but somehow, we all are just not talking about doubles badminton in India enough, and their good performances are overshadowing every problem in doubles,” the player rightfully added.
But where does the correction start, and how? “I think the very first step will have to come from all the stakeholders since it will require everyone’s support. Just one person cannot miraculously change everything, and it takes time. So if we start now, expect results in a few years from now. Apart from that, we’d be lucky if we get a solid pair like Satwik-Chirag before that,” the player concluded.
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