By Prarthana Hazarika
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s BWF World Championships campaign ended against China, with former India international shuttler Ajit Wijetilek pointing to one decisive factor: the difference between being physically fit and being match fit.
Wijetilek, speaking exclusively to The Meghalaya Express, felt the Indians showed their trademark fighting spirit earlier in the tournament but were not at their best physically or competitively.
“Though Satwik and Chirag were clearly not at their best match fitness, they showcased their fighting spirit to come back and win a tricky and tense match against the Malaysians,” Wijetilek said.
But against the Chinese pair, the lack of match sharpness became more evident.
Satwik, in particular, appeared cautious with his shoulder and was unable to unleash the thunderous smashes that have long been a defining feature of the pair’s game.
“Satwik looked less than full match fitness, missing out on his trademark thunderous and feared smashes, looking cautious about his shoulder,” Wijetilek observed.
The rustiness also showed in their combinations and mid-court exchanges.
“It can be telling to not have the confidence of quality matches coming into a massive event. It clearly showed in tentativeness, mid-court exchanges and even some combination confusions which rarely happen to them,” he said.
What was missing, Wijetilek felt, was the fluidity that makes Satwik and Chirag so dangerous.
“The flow, the net attack which won them a grand victory against the No. 1 Koreans recently and the aggressive back-court smash attack which makes them lethal was missing or inconsistent.”
The Chinese pair then exposed that vulnerability, particularly in the opening exchanges.
“Against the Chinese they were stopped in their tracks with their front-court play and in the 1-2-3-4s, the first four shots, the Chinese completely dominated in the second, proving to be most crucial,” Wijetilek said.
He also identified a key turning point in the first game, when the Indians were leading 15-12 but could not maintain their momentum.
“Satwik-Chirag looked in good stead but still not completely confident as they usually are, and Chirag made a silly judgement error which shifted the momentum,” he said.
For Wijetilek, the defeat underlined the importance of match fitness at the highest level.
“There is always a difference between 100 per cent fit and 100 per cent match fitness,” he said, adding that this played a major role against a “thoroughbred” Chinese pair.
Despite the exit, Wijetilek remains confident that the formidable Indian combination can bounce back.
“They are too good a pair and I wish and hope they bounce back to their best and winning ways soon for Indian badminton fans,” he said.
For Satwik and Chirag, the World Championships may have ended in disappointment. But the message is clear: fitness gets you to the start line; match sharpness can determine how far you go.
