Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s Asian Games campaign ended in stunning fashion on Friday, with the defending men’s doubles champions suffering a first-round defeat in Aichi-Nagoya.
The World No. 5 Indian pair went down 21-12, 19-21, 14-21 to Thailand’s World No. 36 Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Peeratchai Sukhphun in a little over an hour.
The result was unexpected given the Indians’ impressive run in recent weeks. Satwik and Chirag had helped India reach the final of the team event after defeating reigning world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang 21-11, 22-20 in the semifinal. They had also won the China Masters following their quarter-final exit at the World Championships.
Their strong return had come after Satwik spent several weeks on the sidelines with a shoulder injury. Yet, despite their recent form, the pair could not reproduce the same intensity in the individual competition.
The Thai combination disrupted India’s attacking game with quick exchanges and disciplined net play. Satwik and Chirag struggled to create the length needed for their powerful smashes, while a string of errors allowed their opponents to take control. The Indians failed to recover after losing momentum in the deciding game.
The defeat was also their first against the Thai pair in three meetings, with each of the previous encounters having gone the distance.
For India, the shock exit is another reminder of the challenge facing the contingent in Aichi-Nagoya. Several gold medals won at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games have already been surrendered.
Gold medals India has failed to retain
Team dressage: India slipped from gold in Hangzhou to fourth in Aichi-Nagoya. Hriday Chheda was the only returning member of the previous champion team.
Women’s 10m air pistol: India had won gold and silver in Hangzhou through Palak Gulia and Esha Singh. In Japan, Manu Bhaker finished fifth and India missed the podium.
Women’s 10m air pistol team: The defending champions finished fourth, narrowly missing bronze after tying Vietnam on 1719 points and losing on the inner-10 count.
Men’s 10m air pistol team: India failed to reach the final after winning gold in Hangzhou.
Men’s 10m air rifle team: The title was surrendered, although India remained on the podium with a silver medal behind China.
Women’s javelin: Defending champion Annu Rani is not competing in Aichi-Nagoya after failing to meet the qualifying standard.
Men’s javelin: Neeraj Chopra is also missing after an ankle ligament injury ruled him out for the 2026 season. Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh will carry India’s challenge in the event.
India had collected 28 gold medals and 107 medals overall at Hangzhou, finishing fourth in the medal standings. In Aichi-Nagoya, the country has so far won two golds — in women’s cricket and the mixed-team shooting event featuring Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet.
India still has opportunities to add to its tally, with men’s cricket and men’s and women’s kabaddi among the major title defences yet to be decided. Athletics could also bring additional medals as several Indian competitors enter their events in strong form.
But with a number of Hangzhou champions already beaten or absent, the road to matching India’s previous 28-gold haul has become increasingly difficult. Satwik and Chirag’s unexpected first-round exit has added another significant setback to that challenge.
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