‘Good in attack, but...’: Coach Mathias mulls over Satwik-Chirag's Asia Championship heroics

India’s Chirag Shetty (left) and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy with their gold medals at the Badminton Asia Championships

He has that rich experience and the comfort he provides makes it easy for the players." Legend P Gopichand said this about Mathias Boe, the Indian team's Danish doubles coach soon after Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched doubles glory at the Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Boe told mid-day that the triumphant pair have the potential to be ranked No. 1, but there are areas to improve on. "They should be a bit more sharp and move faster. They are good in attack, but we can be more consistent there. Actually, all aspects need to be worked on. We are never satisfied; always hungry for more success. That is the great thing about them. They have
a strong spirit.

Working to be No. 1

"Regarding the No. 1 ranking, they are moving ahead steadily. They have won big titles. But rankings also depend on the number of tournaments you play in, something that we will look into. But yes, to be World No. 1 is definitely one of our goals," Boe said. The World No. 5 Indian pair got the better of Malaysia's Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi 16-21, 21-17, 21-19 in Sunday's final.

Mathias Boe

Boe reckoned Satwik and Chirag were not at their best in terms of skills during the final. "They did not play their A game or even the game we had discussed. Yet, they kept on fighting and tried to find their rhythm. That was really good. They showed they were playing from their heart and with passion," said Boe.

The latest glory-earners of Indian badminton can be fine role models and more talent can come through, felt Boe.

Also Read: Gopichand hails Chirag-Satwik for winning gold at Asia Championship

No dearth of talent

"We have talent no doubt, and one pair [Dhruv Kapila-MR Arjun] even reached the quarter-finals of the World Championships last year. There are three to four pairs we are working on. Give them a couple of years and I am sure India will have a few outstanding pairs.

Krishna Prasad Garaga-Vishnu Vardhan Goud Panjala are good. So are Kapila-Arjun," said the coach, who retired as a player in
April 2020.