Shetty and Rankireddy, who are currently third in the world rankings, hit the top spot after clinching India’s first ever badminton gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, which concluded earlier this month.

Shetty and Rankireddy triumphed 21-18, 21-16 against the Republic of Korea’s Choi Sol Gyu and Kim Won Ho to take the title.

Victory gave Shetty and Rankireddy a fifth title of the year, following on from wins at the Swiss Open, Asia Championships, Indonesia Open and Korea Open.

Shetty and Rankireddy’s first two titles at the Swiss Open and Badminton Asia Championships came early in the season, before the pair experienced a dip in form.

Reflecting on their period of struggle earlier in the season Rankireddy said: "For the first time we had an open talk with our coach, about what we should change, about game plan, what worked in Dubai, what didn’t work in Dubai.

"I watched my videos. I was hiding, I was not taking my shuttles, I was waiting for Chirag to take all the shuttles.

"I’d serve and wait for Chirag to cover for me. I watched how I used to play. I took a step to make it more balanced."

The turnaround came in the final of the Indonesian Open when Shetty and Rankireddy faced Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, a pairing they had failed to beat in eight meetings.

It was a different story this time round for Shetty and Rankireddy who won in straight games.

They then peaked again in time for two firsts - Asian Games gold and top spot in the men’s rankings.     

Speaking after victory in Hangzhou Shetty said: "It’s because of the hard work put in by both of us and our team and coaches that we managed to create history for India."

Last year Shetty and Rankireddy won men’s doubles bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, a feat also achieved by Indonesian duo Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.