Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra to lead Indian table tennis teams at Asian Table Tennis Championships

The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has appointed Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra as the captains of the Indian men’s and women’s table tennis teams for the upcoming Asian Table Tennis Championships.

The 27th edition of the Asian Table Tennis Championships will be held from October 7 to October 13 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The Asian Table Tennis Championships is a qualification event for the World Table Tennis Championships and the Asian Games. The tournament will see participation from the top table tennis players in Asia.

The selection committee of the TTFI has named a formidable squad to compete at this level.

Along with Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manush Shah form the men’s team while the women’s team comprises Sreeja Akula, Ayhika Mukherjee, Diya Chitale and Sutirtha Mukherjee under the captaincy of Manika Batra.

SFR Snehit, Jeet Chandra, Yashaswini Ghorpade and Poymantee Baisya have been named as reserve players.

The Indian contingent has a good mix of experienced and young players. The TTFI selection committee picked the players on the basis of their world ranking, their international experience and performances at the national level as key criterias before finalising the Indian teams.

The president of TTFI Meghna Ahlawat was confident of a good show from the Indian team. “Our players have shown remarkable progress over the past year, and we are optimistic about their chances at the Asian Championships. The competition will be tough, but our athletes are ready to take on the best in Asia,” Ahlawat said in a media release.

TTFI secretary general and former paddler Kamlesh Mehta said the squad has a perfect blend of experience and youth. “This squad represents the best of Indian table tennis, with a perfect blend of experience and youth. Our preparation has been good, and I am confident our players will deliver outstanding performances in Astana. We are looking forward to seeing them shine on the continental stage,” Mehta said.

The Indian table tennis teams are coached by Massimo Constantini, who has been instrumental in India’s rise in table tennis. Under his tutelage the Indian table tennis squad, especially the women’s team, did well at the recently concluded Paris Olympics 2024 where they reached the quarterfinals.

Indian men’s team: Achanta Sharath Kamal (captain), Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manush Shah

Reserve players: SFR Snehit and Jeet Chandra

Indian women’s team: Manika Batra (captain), Sreeja Akula, Ayhika Mukherjee, Diya Chitale and Sutirtha Mukherjee

Reserve players: Yashaswini Ghorpade and Poymantee Baisya