India's star doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty created history by winning the Asia Badminton Championships on Sunday, becoming the first Indians in 58 years to be crowned champions in the tournament. Dinesh Khanna was the only Indian to win the gold medal in 1965. Satwik and Chirag beat the Malaysian duo of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in a nail-biting final, with a score of 21-16, 17-21, 19-21. The Indian duo showed remarkable determination and perseverance after losing the first game and being behind 7-13 and 11-15 in the second and third games. Satwik and Chirag's victory marked the first gold medal for India in doubles at the Asia Badminton Championships.
Earlier, Dipu Ghosh and Raman Ghosh had secured a bronze medal in men's doubles in 1971, which was India's previous best performance in the category at the Asia Championships. Satwik and Chirag have had an exceptional season so far, having won the Swiss Open Super 300 title in Basel, the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and five career titles on the BWF World Tour. They have been the top-performing shuttlers for India this season.
The Malaysian duo came into the final after sharing the honors with Satwik and Chirag in six meetings, with the Indian duo emerging victorious in the semi-finals of the Swiss Open earlier this year. In the final, Satwik and Chirag displayed an attacking game, sending down the shuttle at sharp angles and high speeds, while Ong and Teo were solid in their defense.
In the opening game, both pairs started evenly, moving neck and neck from 1-1 to 10-10. However, a hurried shot at the net by Chirag gave the Malaysians a one-point lead at the break, following which they quickly took a commanding lead of 18-13. Satwik and Chirag saved two game points before the Malaysians won an exciting rally to claim the first game.
In the second game, Ong and Teo continued their impressive run, moving to 6-2 early on before quickly zooming to 10-4. Satwik and Chirag struggled to match up to their rivals, allowing the Malaysians to enter the mid-game break with an 11-6 lead. However, the Indian duo produced a recovery, with Satwik's backhand kill and a net error from Teo leading to the Indians taking an 18-15 lead. Satwik and Chirag earned three game points and converted it on the first chance with Teo committing an error at the net.
In the decider, the two pairs traded blows, with Ong and Teo showing great technical acumen as they slowly eked out a three-point lead at 8-5. With Chirag spraying his smash into the net and following it up with another, the Malaysians grabbed an 11-8 lead at the break. However, the Indian duo made a comeback, drawing level at 14-14 before going ahead with a net error from Ong. Satwik and Chirag won the championship point with a booming smash from the back from Chirag, which Teo failed to return, leading to a celebratory dance from Satwik.
India had won one gold and 17 bronze medals in different categories at the continental Championships since 1962 before this final.