India, Sept. 16 -- A lot can change in sport in a fortnight, as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have shown. The duo who looked out of sorts at home in the World Championships in the last week of August, where the two big stars of Indian badminton were expected to perform their little jig in front of their own fans, turned into different beasts on court a week later in China.

From leaving everyone guessing about their fitness, form and ability to defend their Asian Games title after crashing out in the quarter-finals of the Worlds to making it all come together at the China Masters and winning their second title of the season, they not only raised eyebrows but also rekindled hopes.

It has been a remarkable turnaround in fortune...