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Whenever Chirag Shetty gets to Hyderabad for training camps, his boarding and lodging are taken care of at the academy. The COVID-19 lockdowns, however, were notable exceptions.
Owing to the then-rapidly-growing coronavirus pandemic, the Government of India on March 24, 2020, announced a nationwide lockdown. The lockdowns continued to remain in place, either completely or with a few relaxations, until the end of May, and even beyond in some areas.
Chirag stated that he spent a big chunk of the lockdowns living with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and praised his doubles partner's cooking skills.
“I stay at the academy [when I am in Hyderabad]. Back in the lockdown, I stayed with him for a good couple of months. I have had a lot of Sattwik’s dishes, a lot of times actually. During the lockdown, he used to cook and he is quite a good cook and I am quite a good eater,” he disclosed during a press interaction.
Chirag and Satwiksairaj have established themselves as one of the strongest men's doubles pairs in badminton right now. The former has stated that their success comes from how they deal with both wins and losses.
“Our success mantra would be that we take both wins and losses in the same manner. There will be hardships on your way but the most important thing is to keep your head down and work as much as you can. If you play well, the wins will come. If you lose, there’s always a learning to it,” he opined.
“Teamwork is extremely important” - Chirag Shetty on building a successful partnership with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
Chirag Shetty further stressed the importance of teamwork. He recalled how he initially struggled to gel with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy as both of them came from different backgrounds and cultures, and spoke different languages.
“Teamwork is extremely important, whether it be in a sporting environment or otherwise. I think we as a pair started in 2016, it’s been seven years now. I think we had our fair share of difficulties initially. Both of us come from extremely different backgrounds, coming from different cultures, and speaking different languages,” he said.
The 26-year-old said that they slowly connected through their common goal of playing the sport at their best. He added that they have since established a good rapport both on and off the court.
“Initially it was quite difficult. But as we started to get to know each other better, both of us had a common goal, that is to play badminton to the best of our abilities. I think as we started growing and getting better in the game, we started spending a lot more time together off the court,” he said.
“And I think that really helped us perform well on the court because we became extremely good friends off the court, I think that is what is one of the major things that is different between us and the rest of the pairs I think.”
Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will next be seen in action at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, which gets underway on September 23.
Chirag Shetty was speaking at an event where the trophy for the PNB-Metlife Junior Badminton Championship was unveiled.
