Gopichand hails Chirag-Satwik for winning gold at Asia Championship

India’s Chirag Shetty (left) and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy with their gold medals at the Asia Championship in Dubai yesterday

Elated with India's first-ever doubles gold in the Asia Championship in Dubai, Pullela Gopichand said that Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have the potential to win every tournament in the world now. The Indian pair defeated the Malaysia duo of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi 16-21, 21-17, 21-19 in the final on Sunday.

"They have been consistent and are one of the favourites whenever they enter a tournament. They are made for each other in doubles and it is a great combination to have,'' said Gopichand.

The 2001 All England champion said that playing as a doubles team was the best thing to happen for the Andhra-Maharashtra pair.

"Initially, Satwik was playing with Krishna Prasad while Chirag was paired with MR Arjun. But in 2015, Tan Kim Her, the Malaysian coach and I decided Satwik and Chirag should play as a pair. We were trying to make a solid combination. That is how these two came into the picture. Both complement each other. They are strong, physically intimidating and can attack well.''

Also Read: Chirag Shetty, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy stun Chinese pair to storm into semis

Satwik, 22 and 25-year-old Shetty, who were seeded sixth in this tournament, have been on the rise and Gopichand felt that the 2018 Commonwealth Games was the turning point as the duo began to blossom on the international circuit. "This is when they began to understand each other better on the court. Satwik was gradually developing into a strong doubles player, both in men's doubles and mixed doubles. He started to enjoy very good results. But as a pair, the 2018 Commonwealth Games was the turning point. They lost a couple of years because of Covid. Other than that, they have been pretty consistent on the tough world circuit," remarked Gopichand.

The past master spoke on what makes this pair special: "It is Chirag, who rushes and goes for the openings. Satwik is pretty solid and the end game is very good. His [Satwik's] smashes are the best in the world in terms of angles, power and ruthless finishes.''

Gopichand, however, felt that Shetty and Satwik were a little patchy in the first game: "In the first two games, they were patchy. The rallies were not great, but they began to play solidly when it mattered and pulled off the points."

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No. of doubles gold medals India have won at the Asia C'ships