Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra to Lead India in 27th Asian Table Tennis Championships

Veteran paddler Sharath Kamal and rising star Manika Batra have been named as captains of the Indian men’s and women’s teams, respectively, for the upcoming 27th Asian Table Tennis Championships. 

The prestigious tournament is scheduled to take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 7 to 13. This event is seen as a crucial stepping stone towards qualifications for both the World Table Tennis Championships and the Asian Games, making it a high-stakes competition for the Indian squad.

Sharath Kamal, the 42-year-old icon of Indian table tennis, who recently featured in his fifth and last Olympics, will lead a strong men’s team comprising Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, G Sathiyan, and Manush Shah. 

Despite his age, Sharath remains one of India’s finest players, bringing invaluable experience and leadership to the team. Under his captaincy, the men’s squad is expected to mount a serious challenge, even as they contend with the dominant Chinese team and other powerhouses of Asian table tennis.

In the women’s team, 28-year-old Manika Batra, India’s highest-ranked female player, will captain a talented group featuring Sreeja Akula, Ayhika Mukherjee, Diya Chitale, and Sutirtha Mukherjee. Manika, who has steadily risen to prominence on the international circuit, is looking to lead by example as the team prepares for what will be a critical tournament for their global aspirations.

The Indian Table Tennis Federation (TTFI) emphasized that the selection of players was based on stringent criteria, including world rankings, international experience, and domestic performance. “The selection process was rigorous, with the TTFI giving precedence to the world ranking, international experience, and performance at the national level as key criteria for the final squad,” read the TTFI’s statement. This careful approach ensures that only the top-performing players are representing India on one of the biggest stages in the sport.

The Indian team has been working closely with foreign expert Massimo Constantini, who returned to India in June to help sharpen the players’ skills and fine-tune their strategies. Constantini, a seasoned coach with a wealth of international experience, is optimistic about the team’s prospects in the championships. 

“I am hopeful they will put their best foot forward in the Astana championships,” said Constantini, expressing confidence in the team’s preparation and potential to make an impact on the international stage.

India’s recent successes, particularly at the Paris Olympics where the women’s team reached the quarterfinals and the men’s team made history by qualifying for the team event, have raised expectations for the upcoming Asian Championships. Although the men’s team lost to China in the round of 16, their Olympic performance marked a significant achievement in Indian table tennis history.

With the Asian Table Tennis Championships serving as a key qualification event for future global tournaments, there is much at stake for the Indian players. A strong performance here could pave the way for further opportunities to compete on the world stage and potentially win medals for the country.

The full men’s squad includes A. Sharath Kamal (captain), Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, G. Sathiyan, and Manush Shah, with SFR Snehit and Jeet Chandra serving as reserve players. 

The women’s team features Sreeja Akula, Manika Batra (captain), Ayhika Mukherjee, Diya Chitale, and Sutirtha Mukherjee, with Yashaswini Ghorpade and Poymantee Baisya listed as reserves.

As the tournament approaches, Indian fans will be keenly watching to see how the squad performs against the best in Asia. Given the importance of this tournament, both for qualification and confidence-building, the Indian contingent will be aiming to deliver their best in Astana.