In 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who were mere dark horses, pulled off an absolute stunner in their debut appearance at the Games, as they scripted a surprise win over eventual gold medallist Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin in. While the win ensured they were well-placed in the group table, a loss in the second match left their chances hanging in the balance. The then world No. 10 pair recovered to win their final group game, but the win was not enough to take them to the quarters. Satwik and Chirag were reduced to tears, and so was their coach, Mathias Boe, as they consoled each other after the group stage exit. The Indian pair, later revealed that they took nearly a month to get over the heartbreak.

Three years on, Satwik and Chirag have evolved into heavyweights in men's doubles, arguably the toughest category on the tour currently. Under Boe's guidance, the two have gone from strength to strength, winning titles and setting records at will. During this period, SatChi, as they are referred to by their ardent fans, claimed a World Championships bronze, an Asian Games gold, and an Asian Championships title, and, to top it all, rose to the top of the world rankings too. Not to forget, they played a significant role in India's historic Thomas Cup win two years back.

While a lot will be riding on the world No. 3 pair, who will be aiming to win India's first-ever badminton gold at the Olympics, former India shuttler Parupalli Kashyap termed them one of the favourites for the title.

"I think they are a title contender. And I think the wins in Asian Games, Asian Championships, medals in World Championships, they are one of the title contenders," Kashyap, an Olympics expert at JioCinema & Sports18, told in response to a Hindustan Times query.

Satwik and Chirag are placed in Group C of the men's doubles draw, with their only threat being world no. 7, Fajar Alfian / Muhammad Rian Ardianto, in the initial stage. However, Kashyap reckoned that their toughest competitors would be world no. 1 Liang Weikeng / Wang Chang and the fourth-seeded South Korean duo of Kang Min-hyuk / Seo Seung-jae.

Kashyap said: "Their tough competitors will be the Chinese pair against whom they lost during the Thomas Cup. In the last two encounters, I think the Chinese pair won against Chirag and Satwik. So they are the immediate threat. They had a couple of tough matches against the Koreans who won the World Championships but I think they scored a win against them in another tournament. So I think the Chinese pair and the Korean pair, these two are the ones who are going to be tough for Chirag and Satwik, but I think they would be feeling the same about them."

Can HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen better Kashyap's Olympic feat?

Kashyap was the first-ever Indian shuttler to make the quarterfinals in the men's singles category in the 2012 London Olympics, before Kidambi Srikanth levelled the feat in 2016. This is the first time two Indian men will compete at the Olympics since 2004 and Kashyap, not indulging himself in making early predictions, labelled HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen as "dark horses" at the Paris Games.

"I think Lakshya and Prannoy are one of the dark horses in the draw," he said. "Both of them, especially Lakshya played the All-England final two years back. During the Olympic qualification, he came out of a tough qualification period."

Lakshya had fallen out of the Olympic race but made it to Paris after reaching the semifinals of the French Open and All-England Championships.

"Especially the initial patch of the qualification was tough for him. He had a couple of first-round losses but the way he qualified by making it to two semi-finals and getting good wins against top-level opponents.... It shows his calibre.

"Under pressure he has been winning matches in Thomas Cup, winning matches in Asian Games. He's a big-match player, he rises to the occasion, especially the big matches, when it matters."

Talking about Prannoy, Kashyap said: "He is a multiple super series winner and made it to the medal in World Championships, won the bronze beating Victor Axelson and also won the medal in the Asian Games against Lee Zii Jia from match point down.

"Both Lakshya and Prannoy have faced tough situations and have come out trumps. They both are part of the Thomas Cup winning team and have huge experience in big matches. They are capable of anything but they are surely the dark horses.

"They can beat anyone in the draw, be it Li Shi Feng or Victor. I won't say they are the favourites, but they have a huge chance to create upsets and progress in the tournament."

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