Shetty and Rankireddy rebound, and face crunch time
Indian badminton duo Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai, marking their return to form after an injury. The win comes at a critical time as they defend their world ranking of five and aim to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. Shetty and Rankireddy are the first Indian men's pairing to break into the top 10 of the world ranking, with seven other Indian pairs in the top 100. However, six of these pairs have seen their rankings slip in 2023, highlighting the competitiveness of world badminton.