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Journalism of Courage
A measure of the struggles Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty endured early on against their Chinese nemeses Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang was summed up by the fact that they didn’t win more than two consecutive points in the opening game. Game 1 moved in a blur, lasting 12 minutes and 33 points. But they put it behind them, saved a match point along the way and scripted a stirring fightback to kickstart their BWF World Tour Finals campaign in Hangzhou with a 12-21, 22-20, 21-14 win.
Both pairs began with a few errors on the trot, struggling to get the length right. Satwik-Chirag briefly got the attacking rhythm right with an up-tempo rally for a 4-2 lead but it was a flash in the pan. The Chinese duo’s signature flat, parallel offence kicked in soon as they inched ahead 6-4 on a run of four points.
When the second game started, it was evident Satwik-Chirag were looking to attack more, taking initiative in rallies rather than reacting to the Chinese. A fantastic 31-shot rally was a turning point where the Indians overcame a brief mid-exchange miscommunication to keep the shuttle in play, eventually forcing a lift to go long. This triggered the first real spell of sustained momentum as SatChi went on a run of seven straight points from 4-7 down, to 11-7 lead into the mid-game interval.
At this point, they were not only hitting through the Chinese defence but also using clever changes of pace, with the former making his presence felt at the net too. At 14-10, a fantastic 45-shot rally saw the Indians absorb considerable pressure on defence and force a mistake from a tiring Liang.
With an 18-12 lead, the decider seemed imminent. But Liang-Wang went on a roll, winning six straight points. Having a match point at 20-19, however, Wang gifted India a service error. Benefitting from a breakdown in communication between Liang-Wang, India’s pair converted their first game point to force the decider.
The decider was off to a tight start, with the Indians’ celebrations echoing in the arena that fell silent every time they won a point. Just when Liang’s serve started panicking the Indian defence at 9-7, a superb intervention at the net from Chirag set up a kill for Satwik as the Indians made it 9-9. Satwik’s superb reflex reaction, after his serve was returned at pace, gave the Indians an 11-9 lead.
By the time they changed ends, Liang and Wang had started showing signs of frustration. An unreturned Satwik serve gave the Indians seven match points. They converted their second to complete a remarkable turnaround.
“Second game onwards, we wanted to start on a good note and be as aggressive as possible. That’s why we were able to convert that into a win,” Chirag told BWF later. “To be aggressive was the plan. But (in the) first game, we didn’t get the rhythm. It’s been a while since we played,” Satwik added.
Both chuckled when asked if they were proud of saving the match point in the second game. “Wouldn’t say really proud, because from 18-12 we made silly errors. Should have closed that game comfortably,” Chirag quipped.
But they are aware of where they need to up their game. “We practised mostly service-return. It’s the main game in doubles, if we have to keep up with the Malaysians, Indonesians and Chinese. If the rally opens up, we know we are strong. But in the service situations, we are not there with the other top pairs yet. We are learning,” Satwik said.
