Rewind 2023: 'Sat-Chi' climb pinnacle in bittersweet year for Indian badminton

For many years, the singles shuttlers dominated and captured the imagination of Indian badminton scene. Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen have all drawn people to stadiums and TV screens. In 2023 (and some portions of 2022), it was the turn of the doubles teams to do so. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who go by the moniker of ‘Sat-Chi’, were well and truly the best that the Indian badminton witnessed in 2023. They had already showcased what they bring to the table with a Commonwealth Games gold medal and by steering India in the Thomas Cup last year. In 2023, they took it further with an Asian Games gold medal - becoming the first Indian doubles pair to win the Asian Games gold - and rise to the World No 1 spot. The duo would start the season in unceremonious fashion as Rankireddy picked up a hip injury on the morning of the Indian Open. But they would soon fix that disappointment with a bronze medal in the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships. Read | Khel Ratna confirmed for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty The first title on the BWF World Tour would come at the Swiss Open (BWF World Super 300) with further glory at the Badminton Asia Championships, Indonesia Open (BWF World Super 1000), Korea Open (BWF World Super 500). At the Asian Games in Hangzhou, the pairing were part of the silver-medal winning Indian team and clinched the yellow metal in the men’s doubles category. Their season ended with a runners-up finish at the China Masters - an unlikely occurring considering they had won their previous eight finals. The last time they had lost a final was back in October 2019!

ASIAN GAMES GOLD MEDALISTS 🏆
To all who cheered, believed, and stood by me - this gold is as much yours as it is ours. Holding this gold, I feel the weight of your love and support more than ever. This victory belongs to all of us. Thank you Jai Hind 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/GSouLRYgXM

— Satwik SaiRaj Rankireddy (@satwiksairaj) October 10, 2023

“[2023 was a] fantastic year for us, whatever we thought we wanted to do, we achieved those goals. When we started 2023, we wanted to win a medal at the Asian Games and be in the top 2 or 3 in the world. So really happy with that,” Satwik said in the mixed zone after the China Masters final. “The Asian Games win was the most important title of the year, by far. First Super 1000, and the Asian Championships as well as becoming No 1 was important too but definitely, the Asian Games doubles gold and silver in team event stands out,” Chirag added. There was further joy for India in women’s doubles with Tanisha Crasto and veteran Ashwini Ponnappa triumphing at the Abu Dhabi Masters and Guwahati Masters. Crasto also bagged the mixed doubles title alongside Dhruv Kapila at the Odisha Masters.

This cute video will put a smile on your face 🥰

Stadium in China playing Dangal title song 🎶
And HS Prannoy swaying to it 🕺

He has become the first Indian man in 40 years to win Badminton Singles Medal at Asian Games🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/3hEk3Z7K46

— APJ (@apj234) October 5, 2023

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While the doubles teams had many reasons to celebrate, the singles showing was below par except for HS Prannoy finally coming good. The 31-year-old had for long played second fiddle to his peers. He was always someone who had the talent but couldn’t quite elevate it enough to win titles. Prannoy continued his resurgence from 2022 into the new year. Prannoy won a bronze medal in the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships to set the tone early on. With the Malaysia Masters, he won his first BWF World Super 500 title, beating China’s Weng Hongyang in a thriller. Consistency saw him take silver medal at the Australian Open and bronze at the BWF World Championships. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, he played a key role in India winning silver in team event and later added a bronze in the singles category. The medal ended India’s 41-year wait for a singles medal at the continental showpiece. The last Indian to win an Asian Games medal was Syed Modi at the 1982 edition. If they were the highs of Indian badminton in 2023, the lows can be attributed to PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, Lakshya Sen enduring a poor season. But maybe no one disappointed fans more than PV Sindhu’s struggles.

Coming back from an ankle injury at the close of 2022, Sindhu’s season proved to be a challenge for the shuttler who lost seven first round matches. In comparison, the best performances came at Madrid Open (runners-up) and Denmark Open, Arctic Open, Canada Open, Malaysia Masters (semi-finals). The dismal returns on tour took a toll in the rankings as well. In July, she dropped to World No 17 - her lowest ranking in over a decade. She had been in the top-10 since 2016 and reached a career-high World No 2 in April 2016.

For those wondering and constantly asking me 😅, the cat is finally out of the bag!!

Prakash sir is assuming the role of the mentor in my setup. I started training with him at the end of August, and it's been uphill ever since. He's more than a mentor; he's my guide, my guru,… pic.twitter.com/KxYlo4dyBd

— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) November 18, 2023

There have been changes in direction on the coaching front with Sindhu parting ways with Park Tae-Sang in February and then appointing Muhammad Hafiz Hashim. In November, the Olympic medallist declared she would be working with Prakash Padukone at his academy in Bengaluru with the aim of clinching gold at the Paris Games next year. “Long-term goal is the Olympic gold. Nothing less than that. Along the way try to win the All-England title as well since I believe it is one of the toughest tournaments on the circuit,” Padukone told the Indian Express. Sindhu closes the year out at World No 11 but with an asterisk of protected ranking next to it. It was brought upon with the Hyderabadi shuttler picking a left knee niggle during the French Open. “I was playing in France against Supanida from Thailand. It was the pre-quarterfinals. In the first game, everything was going on well. In the end, I think at 18-20, I heard a sound in my knee, maybe it was just normal, and I continued to play the rally. I won the first game. Of course, when I changed courts, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable, I didn’t know what was happening,” Sindhu told First Sports. The magic spray and discussions with her physio didn’t help either. An ‘uncomfortable’ Sindhu couldn’t move and decided to retire to be safe. The injury could keep her out until February next year.