Badminton Asia Championships: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty wins men's doubles title

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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty scripted history on Sunday as the star Indian doubles pair won the men's final and ended India's 58-year-old drought at the Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai on Sunday.

They became the first Indians to win a title at the continental championships since Dinesh Khanna won the men's title in 1965. The 2022 World Championships bronze medallists scripted a sensational comeback after an opening game reversal to edge past Malaysian pair of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi 21-16, 17-21, 19-21 in a nail-biting final.

Photo Credit: Badminton Association of India

BAI President Himanta Biswa Sarma announced 20 lacs as a reward for this historic win by the Indian pair. This is the first-ever gold medal for India at the Badminton Asia Championships in the men's doubles category.

Dipu Ghosh and Raman Ghosh won a bronze medal in 1971 when they reached the semi-finals of the competition. Meanwhile, Dinesh Khanna is the only gold medal winner for India in the men's singles category in the continental championships. He won the men's singles title back in 1965.

"I congratulate Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy for creating history at the Badminton Asia Championships. They played brilliantly during the whole tournament. The amount of composure they showed, even in the most crunch situations, is applaudable.

"This is their first medal in the Badminton Asia Championships and I hope they continue their impressive run in the upcoming competitions as well," said Sanjay Mishra, General Secretary of the Badminton Association of India.

Shetty and Rankireddy started the final on a bright note and played some ferocious shots to get into the right rhythm. They were behind only by a point (10-11) at the halfway stage. However, the Indian pair soon lost momentum as Sin and Yi encashed upon their mistakes to take the first game.

The Malaysian pair continued their momentum in the second game as they took (11-6) lead at the halfway stage. It appeared all over for Shetty and Rankireddy but they didn't lose hope and made a strong comeback (15-14) before winning the game to level the match.