Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty nominated for Khel Ratna award

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are knocking on the door of another milestone in their careers. The duo has been nominated for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting honor in India.

Only three badminton players from the country have previously laid claim to the accolade — Pullela Gopichand, Saina Nehwal, and PV Sindhu. The doubles pair is in line to be the first in its category to win the award.

A nomination for the Khel Ratna can be submitted either by players or the National Federation for the particular sport. A Badminton Association of India official confirmed with the Hindustan Times that Rankireddy and Shetty had made the decision themselves.

"Normally, players and the association have an informal discussion before applying, given their performance in the international arena. Satwik and Chirag had discussions with us before applying. The last date was December 2, I believe. The ministry hasn't reached out to us yet. We will, of course, approve their nomination. They are our jewels."

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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's game-changing 2023

The Khel Ratna is awarded to sportspeople who have excelled in their sport in the last four years on the international level. Both Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty certainly check that box.

This year itself, the pair has been in six finals, winning five of them. In June, the duo notched a win against Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik at the Indonesia Open, becoming the first Indian men's doubles pair to win a Super 1000 tournament.

They followed this up with a historic run at the Hangzhou Asian Games, winning an individual gold, another first for the nation. In the same event, they helped the Indian team to finish in the runner-up spot.

In October of 2023, Rankireddy and Shetty rose to the number one spot in the BWF World Rankings, becoming India's first doubles pair to achieve the feat.

Over the past four years, the two have also claimed bronze at the BWF World Championships and aided the Indian team in their first Thomas Cup victory.