EVEN AFTER TWO WINS, INDIAN PAIR FAILS TO EMERGE FROM DOUBLES’ GROUP OF DEATH
NEW DELHI: Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won two of their three badminton doubles Group A matches in the Olympics. So did Indonesia’s Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sukamuljo, and Chinese Taipei’s Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin. Despite the same number of wins (2), losses (1) and points (2), the Indian pair was ousted while the other two progressed to the quarter-finals. The reason: Group stage qualification.
Since the format was introduced in London 2012, changing from a straight knockout, it has worked for some, but not for others such as the world No.10 Indian pair, eliminated in Tokyo via game difference—like goal difference in football. They finished third in the group of four.
The world No.1 Indonesian pair topped the group with a +3 game difference (games won minus games lost) and the world No.3 Chinese Taipei combine, stunned by Shetty and Rankireddy in the opener, advanced with a +2 difference. The Indians were at +1.
On Tuesday, Shetty and Rankireddy earned a 21-17, 21-19 win in 42 minutes over Britain’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza, their first victory in two meetings against the world No.18. By then, the qualifiers from the group was clear. It was a tough group with three top 10 pairs but it was the straight games loss against Gideon and Sukamuljo that cost Shetty and Rankireddy.
A lot depended on the match between Gideon/Sukamuljo and Lee/Wang as the Taipei pair losing would have led to Shetty and Rankireddy’s qualification.
But minutes before the Indian pair stepped on to the court, Lee and Wang won in three games over the Indonesians, rendering the match inconsequential.
“We knew the moment Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin won, we didn’t stand a chance,” Shetty said. “They won in two games and we in 3. Unfortunately, even after winning two matches in the group, we don’t go through. That is badminton and we have to live with it.” The result was akin to London 2012, where Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa were eliminated in women’s doubles as they finished third despite winning two matches with the top two going through.