India’s best sporting pairs
Everything is better with two, right? Here are your favorite athletes who wowed us with their on-pitch chemistry and relationship with their bond. The Bridge looks back on some of India’s best and most well-known sports duos who have not only brought us laurels but also entertained us with their exploits.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty
The Shuttler duo has been on the rise for many years, and with the recent bronze medal win at the 2022 BWF World Championships, the Satwik-Chirag duo is one of the most accomplished and decorated couples among Indian fans.
This year in particular has been brilliant for her in terms of title wins. From a historic Thomas Cup win to CWG gold and now the World Championship medal, the wild yet humorous couplet only needs to climb higher.
Chirag and Satwik celebrate after winning doubles in Thomas Cup 2022 (Source: Latestly)
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi
Paes-Bhupathi, nicknamed the “Indian Express”, was a very successful duo on the tennis court. One of the most memorable moments of their careers will surely be winning the Wimbledon title together in 1999.
Paes and Bhupathi with their Wimbledon titles (Source: Getty Images)
The duo also have two consecutive gold medals in Asia. In addition, they also hold the record for the longest winning streak in Davis Cup (24 wins).
Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag
A scary sight for all bowlers has to be opening pairing Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. Previously, it was Sourav Ganguly who was the usual opener alongside Sachin. However, on the day of his absence, Sehwag was pushed into his place. The ruthless batsman quickly made the position his own.
Between them lie a dozen centuries and almost 20 half centuries. These numbers only confirm the destruction they would wreak on the field, bringing joy to India and agony to the opposition.
Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran
Despite being a relatively newly formed couple, they quickly got used to each other and wasted no time in bringing glory to the country. It started in the Gold Coast CWG when the duo won silver in men’s doubles. They repeated this feat again this year in Birmingham.
The paddler duo with their CWG 2022 silver medals (Source: Latestly)
Bhaichung Bhutia and IM Vijayan
Striker duo Bhutia-Vijayan wreaked havoc on the football field in the late 1990s and were a source of constant goal threat for their opponents. While both forwards scored tens of goals individually, together they were a different beast. With this partnership, India won the 1999 SAFF Championship.
Bhutia and Vijayan during their playing days. (Source: Goal)