Indian players with most consecutive weeks in top 10 of BWF world rankings

Satwik-Chirag are the only men's doubles pair in top 10.

Despite the early loss at the hands of the Indonesian pair of Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan in French Open 2023, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty scripted history as the Indian duo completed 100 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the men's doubles BWF world rankings. The duo, currently ranked in top five lost their pole position after staying for there two weeks.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, after completing 100 successive weeks inside the top 10 BWF men's doubles rankings, have become the first Indian pair to achieve the feat. We take a look at the list of the Indian players and pairs to have the most consecutive weeks' stay inside the top 10 of the BWF World Rankings.

PV Sindhu (30)

PV Sindhu's initial entry on the list is a streak that commenced in April 2016 and concluded in October of the same year. She maintained her position in the top 10 of women's singles for 30 consecutive weeks, a period during which she clinched the historic Rio Olympics silver medal.

Lakshya Sen (43)

Next up is the youngest active entrant on the list, Lakshya Sen. Although he briefly dropped out of the top 10 of the BWF World Rankings in men's singles after 43 weeks, he still has ample opportunities to re-enter the top tier and even break his own record over the course of his career. His streak began in the penultimate week of March 2022 and ended in the second week of January 2023.

HS Prannoy (46)

Moving on, we have HS Prannoy, the sole Indian currently occupying a spot in the top 10 of the BWF World Rankings in men's singles. His active streak is nearing 47 weeks, having started in the third week of December 2022, and, as mentioned earlier, is ongoing.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty (54)

The first appearance of the Indian duo doesn't pertain to the previously mentioned streak. Instead, this refers to the 54-week run that saw them break into the top 10 of the BWF World Rankings in men's doubles for the first time ever. They maintained this position from the third week of January 2020 until the third week of October 2021.

Saina Nehwal (61)

Saina Nehwal, the first individual Olympic medalist in badminton from India, comes next on the list. She enjoyed a 61-week streak that ultimately marked the end of her dominance in the sport, as her rankings and performance saw a sharp decline. This streak commenced in the third week of October 2018 and concluded in the second week of December 2019.

Kidambi Srikanth (72)

Kidambi Srikanth's inaugural inclusion in the top 10 of the BWF world rankings for men's singles spanned an impressive 72 weeks. At the zenith of this streak, the now-veteran player achieved a World No. 3 ranking. The streak commenced in the third week of November 2014 and wrapped up in the final week of March 2016.

Now, let's delve into the number of weeks Indian shuttlers have spent in the BWF Top 10 rankings

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty (101)

Here comes the streak that piqued our curiosity about the individuals comprising the top 10 Indians with the most consecutive weeks in the BWF rankings. This active streak now stands at 101 weeks, having commenced in the last week of November 2021. It is one of the two active streaks on the list.

Kidambi Srikanth (124)

Following that is the streak that witnessed one of the most dominant phases by any Indian singles player in the BWF circuit. During this 124-week stretch, Srikanth displayed unparalleled prowess, often emerging victorious against some of the best in the game. The streak began in the fourth week of June 2017 and concluded in the first week of November 2019.

PV Sindhu (293)

The second-longest streak by any Indian, and the lengthiest by PV Sindhu in the top 10 of the BWF world rankings, spans 293 weeks. This impressive duration commenced in the third week of November 2016 and extended until the third week of March 2023. While she is currently back in the top 10, the star Indian shuttler's on-court performances have recently shown a decline.

Saina Nehwal (372)

The most extended streak by any Indian undoubtedly belongs to the legendary Saina Nehwal, the player who rejuvenated India's presence on the badminton world stage. This remarkable streak encompassed 372 weeks, and it will certainly take some time to surpass. It began in the first week of October 2009 and continued until the second week of November 2016.

Note: * marked ones indicated active streaks at the time of writing.