Tokyo Olympics: It's time for Indian badminton to cement its legacy

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty - The crouching tigers headed to the Tokyo Olympics

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag C Shetty - India's hidden tigers

While India has bulldozed its way into the individual categories of badminton, the road hasn't been as well laid for the doubles category. Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponaappa were well known for their heroics at the World Championships in 2011, but for the first time, the two men have made it to the Olympics in the doubles category.

The duo have nothing to lose. The Tokyo Olympics will mark their debut at the quadrennial event, and neither are above 25. Both are ranked among the top 20 of the world rankings.

As such, all they need to do is to keep their wits about them. Should they even make it to the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics, it will be nothing short of historic. Though it will be far from easy, the two have managed to make the impossible possible. They almost created Commonwealth Games history in 2018 but their lack of experience proved costly for the duo.