As Muhammad Shohibul Fikri’s return went into the net, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy fell to the floor. Chirag Shetty performed his traditional “shut the noise” gig by putting both his index fingers into his ears.India’s Chirag Shetty (R) and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy. (AFP)Shetty then jumped onto Rankireddy, who lifted his partner before they broke into their celebratory dance with Shetty removing his jersey, much to the delight of the fans at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Sunday. Indian badminton fans had missed these scenes for two years as it was exactly 24 months ago that Rankireddy and Shetty had last won a title (2024 Thailand Open).After coming close many times since then — including three finals — the ace Indian doubles duo finally ended the wait when they clinched the title at the $1 million Singapore Open by beating Indonesian third seeds Fajar Alfian and Fikri 18-21, 21-17, 21-16 in an hour and 13 minutes in the final.“It’s been a while since I’ve shown my body. Finally, all the viewers in the stadium, back home, across the world, saw it. I hope they were happy. I have put in a lot of effort in the gym to make it good,” an elated Shetty joked.“But jokes aside, really happy. Two years… we knew that eventually the title will come. We had that belief. It was just a matter of time and finally we got it. It was a very intense. We knew when we got on to the court that it will be a cracker of a game. Both sides will give their best and I knew that the match will go on till the very end.”In a spectacular show of resilience, tactical brilliance and raw energy, the Indian pair fought back from a game down in a thrilling final. In a weekend of ultimate mastery, Rankireddy and Shetty delivered a masterclass just 24 hours after they snapped the 34-match undefeated streak of world No.1 Korean pair Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae, who are the reigning world, Asian and All England champions.The second victory in four meetings against the world No.3 Indonesians also gave the world No.4 pair their fourth Super 750 or above titles. They had also won the 2022 and 2024 French Opens, apart from the 2023 Indonesia Open.Rankireddy and Shetty became the fourth Indian player/pair to win the Singapore Open. Saina Nehwal (2010), B Sai Praneeth (2017) and PV Sindhu (2022) too have been champions here.The Indian pair has been in solid form in the last couple of months, starting with the Thomas Cup where they helped India claim a bronze. Two weeks earlier, they finished runners-up in the Thailand Open in Bangkok.In their bid to end their long wait for a title, Rankireddy and Shetty started the final by opening up a 5-2 lead, but their Indonesian opponents then kept pace and went ahead to pocket the game.The Indians then relied on their attacking instinct to win six straight points from 8-8 to take control of the second game. Though Alfian and Fikri managed to save two game points, they could not avoid the decider.With the momentum firmly in their favour, the Indians went 11-5 up in the decider. The Indonesians closed the gap at 11-12 but Satwik and Chirag again found that extra gear to earn five match points, converting the second.“I was telling myself not to think so much. We’ve played the same way from Round 1. We even lost the first game we played in Singapore. But we came back from there. I was telling myself it’s just a matter of one strike,” said Rankireddy.“In the second game, I got confident after knowing where to focus and not to focus behind. In these matches you don’t get many smashes to hit. You’ve to prove yourself you can play at the net. My job is to serve and catch one stroke then let Chirag take over. I kept it very simple. I felt they were under pressure when we were chasing, and keeping it simple, which also helped us in the third game. A few net cords here and there also helped us. It was our day.”When things got tough, they didn’t panic. They leaned into their chemistry with Rankireddy holding down the back court with absolute brute force, unleashing baseline smashes that left their opponents guessing.Controlling the net with razor-sharp reflexes, intercepting rallies, and dictating the pace when it mattered most, Shetty sent an important message to the circuit ahead of the August World Championships in New Delhi followed by the Asian Games in Japan.The Indian pair will next play at the $1.45mn Indonesia Open starting on Monday, where they were winners in 2023.