Olympics 2021: Satwiksairaj and Chirag Shetty's meticulous performance in their first outing

Indian badminton men's doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty opened their Olympics 2021 campaign with a win on Saturday. Their success also belongs to former Indian coach Tan Kim Her who first brought the two players together.

Since Tan Kim Her's decision, the two players, who then hovered around the 400 mark in the world rankings, have risen to the top 16.

Tan Kim Her resigned from the Indian side just a few weeks ahead of the Tokyo Games. Current world No. 10 Satwik and Chirag are at the Olympics under coach and former world No.1 Mathias Boe.

Satwik and Chirag with coach Mathias Boe @Media_SAI@IndiaSports@ianuragthakur@tapasjournalist#Cheer4India pic.twitter.com/f6Flk54Kug

— DD News (@DDNewslive) July 19, 2021

Satwik and Chirag's first match at the Olympics 2021

World No. 10 Satwiksairaj and Chirag made an astounding entry into the Olympics with a thrilling win over third-seeded Yang Lee and Chi-Lin Wang 21-16, 16-21, 27-25. The match lasted around 60 minutes.

The duo started strong with their trademark attacking gameplay. They fearlessly controlled the Chinese Taipei duo's power hitting and speed with their buoyant exhibition on the court to sweep the first game 21-16.

The Chinese Taipei pair took a 6-4 lead early in the second game. The Indians kept their cool for a while and did not let the gap build up. But Lee and Lin eventually sealed the game 16-21.

In the third and deciding game, the Indians were toe to toe at 7-7. Midway through the game, Lee and Lin took a 16-13 lead.

A crisp encounter at the tail-end saw both sides tied at 22-22 and then 23-23. India took a 26-25 lead and went on to convert it to a 27-25 win.

DEBUT TO REMEMBER 🤩MD @Shettychirag04 & @satwiksairaj beat World Rank no. 3 Chinese Taipei pair of L. Yang & W. Chi in their first clash if #Olympic by 21-16, 16-21, 27-25. They faced each other for the first time 🤯#SmashfortheGlory#badminton#Tokyo2020#Cheer4India pic.twitter.com/u9X6gyq02L

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) July 24, 2021

Satwiksairaj and Chirag's next outing

Satwik and Chirag will square off against world No 1 Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia. The Indian duo, though ranked 10th by the BWF, have beaten most of the teams ahead of them. An enthralling face-off between India and Indonesia awaits on Monday. The Indians will hope to continue their momentum and give their best.