Expectations would be high from Indian badminton's star-studded singles line-up but away from the spotlight, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are aiming to end the country's men's doubles medal drought at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in just their debut appearance.
At 17 and 20 respectively, Satwik and Chirag form a formidable pair that has proved its mettle in international badminton, often punching above their weight, only to fall short of podium finishes.
"It was my father's dream to see me play at the Commonwealth Games and so when I heard I was selected for the event, it made me so happy. It's a dream for every sportsperson and I think we are pretty confident that we can win a medal, looking at the way we have been playing in the last six months," Satwik told PTI.
Chirag added: "No Indian men's pair has won a medal at the CWG. If you look at the pool, Olympic silver and Olympic bronze medallist from Malaysia and England respectively are playing but we have been playing well, so we are confident of a good show."
"Our coach told us to stay together, go out together and now we have become good friends, he knows me well now and I know all about him as well."
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