NEW DELHI: The Shenzhen Arena has become a venue of both heartbreak and triumph for India’s premier men’s doubles badminton pair.
The match began on shaky ground for the reigning Asian Games champions. However, displaying the tactical maturity that has made them world-beaters, Satwik and Chirag refused to panic. But Azriyn and Wee Kiong refused to fade away. For Satwik, this mid-match dip felt all too familiar, reflecting on the pattern with candid self-awareness. “This is the whole story of this week. It happened in previous matches too. But it is fine. Chirag found a silver lining in their ability to weather the storm and recalibrate While dropping a game is never the objective. “Anybody would want to finish it in two straight games. The deciding game, as he put it, was a masterclass in domination. Leaving little room for the Malaysians to mount a second recovery, the Indian pair dictated the pace from the front court to the baseline. “Then wake up and see how our body feels. Then we need one more match.
The semi-final was a repeat of their entire Super 750 tournament. Flashes of undeniable brilliance interspersed with moments of vulnerability that tested the physical and mental mettle of the world No.5 pair. Staring down an early 0-5 deficit, the Indians appeared momentarily caught off guard by the Malaysians’ aggressive start. Instead, they orchestrated a scintillating seven-point blitz to snatch the lead at 7-5. Once they found their rhythm, their sheer power and court coverage overwhelmed the Malaysian pair, allowing the Indians to comfortably close out the opening game 21-16. Upping their speed and consistency, they forced the Indians into uncomfortable, fast-paced rallies in the second game, eventually edging it 21-18 to force a tense decider. We have been playing the first game easily, then the second game we are giving away in the 15-16 all (mark). We will push our 100% tomorrow and we’ll take it from there.”
It’s a good tournament for us,” Satwik said after the match. But I’m glad that we can actually, even after losing that second game, bounce back in the third and finish it quite comfortably,” said Chirag. “(Right now we will) go back and recover first,” he said.
