Shetty excited to team up with doubles ace Boe in PBL
LUCKNOW: Premier Badminton League (PBL), featuring many top shuttlers of the world, is the next destination for Indian players too as the mega event begins on December 22 at different locations in India.
Like others, young doubles specialist Chirag Shetty is aiming big for the newly-inducted Pune 7 Aces, which is co-owned by actor Taapsee Pannu. The team also has world champion Caroline Marin.
“It’s a new team in this year’s PBL and I am very happy for being a part of it. There are some very senior members in the team and I am sure about getting to learn a lot of things from them,” Chirag said on Friday.
Winner of five BWF Challenger Series, including four titles in 2016 alone, while teaming with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, the 21-year-old Mumbaikar is already in the winning mode. Chirag, who won the gold medal at this year’s Commonwealth Games in mixed team event at Gold Coast, is excited to play alongside Marin and one of the world’s top-rated doubles players Mathias Boe.
“I have known Mathias for the last three years now since he had come to Mumbai to practice for a week a couple of years ago and he had come to our academy at Goregoan Sports Club.”
“I would say, it was love at first sight because even though he was a world No 1 back then, he helped me a lot while I would practice,” he said.
“Generally people who are playing at such a high level don’t really tell you much about the game.”
But Chirag admitted that Boe was a big help to him.
“He (Mathias) was different, he would watch me play and would correct me on a lot of occasions. He taught me things which I continue to use in my game.”
“I owe a lot to him because he has really helped me while I was still learning the traits of the game and now being a part of the same team with him is going to just be an amazing feeling altogether. I am really looking forward to it.”