Manika Batra in action. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

File image of Manika Batra.© X (Twitter)

Manika Batra in action© AFP

Bengaluru Smashers vs Goa Challengers, Ultimate Table Tennis: Live Updates© UTT

Veteran Sharath Kamal and star female player Manika Batra were on Wednesday named in the India squad for the 27th Asian Table Tennis Championships, scheduled to be held in Astana, from October 7 to 13. Sharath, the 42-year-old who recently featured in his fifth and last Olympics, is the captain of the men’s team comprising Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, G Sathiyan and Manush Shah. Manika will lead the women’s team which also has Sreeja Akula, Ayhika Mukherjee, Diya Chital and Sutirtha Mukherjee.

“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,” said the TTFI in a statement.

The Indian team has been under the guidance of foreign expert Massimo Constantini, who has been working to fine-tune the players’ skills and strategies since his return to India in June.

“I am hopeful they will put their best foot forward in the Asthana championships,” Constantini said.

The squad, especially the women, had done well in the Paris Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals. The men’s team had lost to the mighty China in the round of 16. It was the first time that India qualified for team events at the Olympics.

As a crucial qualification event for the World Table Tennis Championships and the Asian Games, the Asian Championships hold significant importance for the Indian team.

Men’s Team: A. Sharath Kamal (captain), Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, G. Sathiyan, Manush Shah; Reserve Players: SFR Snehit and Jeet Chandra.

Women’s Team: Sreeja Akula, Manika Batra (captain), Ayhika Mukherjee, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee; Reserve Players: Yashaswini Ghorpade and Poymantee Baisya.

Rising star Diya Chitale pulled off a massive upset against World No. 26 Manika Batra as Dabang Delhi TTC staged a late charge to upstage table toppers PBG Bengaluru Smashers 8-7 in a thrilling UTT 2024 tie that went right down to the wire at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. Diya outplayed Manika 3-0 (11-6, 11-10, 11-8) as Dabang Delhi TTC – who were seemingly down and out after PBG Bengaluru Smashers raced into a 7-1 lead – pulled off the unthinkable by clinching seven consecutive games.

The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). The league is airing on Sports18 Khel and streaming live on JioCinema in India and Facebook Live outside India.

Despite suffering their first loss of the season, PBG Bengaluru Smashers became the first team to enter the knockouts with 48 points after five ties. Dabang Delhi TTC continue at the second spot with 41 points.

PBG Bengaluru Smashers were off to a promising start when Alvaro Robles blanked youngster Yashansh Malik 3-0 (11-3, 11-10, 11-5) in the first men’s singles. Lily Zhang continued her unbeaten run this season, outclassing Orawan Paranang 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-7) in the first women’s singles. 

The American star has dropped just one game this season and Sunday’s result was her fourth 3-0 win on the trot.

However, Orawan and G Sathiyan sparked the turnaround for the Delhi-based franchise when they downed the star pair of Manika and Alvaro Robles 2-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-8) in the mixed doubles. Sathiyan went on to blank a fighting Jeet Chandra 3-0 (11-10, 11-6, 11-5) to raise visions of a comeback by Dabang Delhi TTC.

That set up a nail-biting finish with Diya Chitale taking on a formidable challenge against Manika in the second women’s singles. The promising youngster pulled off a giant slaying act as she comprehensively outplayed the experienced Team India star.

Earlier in the day, Puneri Paltan Table Tennis stormed back into contention for a place in the knockouts with a 9-6 win over debutants Jaipur Patriots in an exciting clash. The team from Pune are in the fourth spot with 28 points. Jaipur Patriots leapfrogged a rung to take the fifth spot with 25 points.

Ankur Bhattacharjee put Puneri Paltan Table Tennis off to a winning start by defeating Ronit Bhanja 2-1 (10-11, 11-10, 11-8) in the first men’s singles.

Suthasini Sawettabut brought Jaipur Patriots back to level terms with a 2-1 (8-11, 11-10, 11-7) verdict over the highly rated Ayhika Mukherjee. Puneri Paltan Table Tennis regained the lead immediately when Natalia Bajor and Anirban Ghosh got the better of Nithyashree Mani and Cho Seungmin 2-1 (11-10, 7-11,11-9) in the mixed doubles clash, and then got a two-point lead when Joao Monteiro registered his first win in the tournament by beating the dangerous Cho Seungmin 21- (8-11,11-10,11-7).

Natalia Bajor wrapped up the victory for Puneri Paltan Table Tennis with a 2-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-6) win over a fighting Nithyashree Mani in the second women’s singles.

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PBG Bengaluru Smashers will be looking to extend their unbeaten run and take a step closer to the playoffs when they face Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 debutants Jaipur Patriots at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Thursday. The team from Bengaluru has won both its ties so far and is second in the table, behind leaders Ahmedabad SG Pipers, who have played a tie more. Jaipur Patriots, on the other hand, are fourth with a loss and a win in their bag. 

The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). All the thrilling ties are being aired on Sports18 Khel on TV and streaming live on JioCinema in India and Facebook Live outside India. Tickets are available online through BookMyShow and offline at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium box office near Gate no. 1. 

PBG Bengaluru Smashers have been dominant, so far, in UTT 2024; they have won both their ties, eight of the ten matches contested, and 21 of the 30 games they have played. Led by captain Alvaro Robles, the team from Bengaluru is looking to break into the playoffs for the first time, after narrowly missing out on a spot in their debut season last year. 

Robles aside, PBG Bengaluru Smashers are likely to feature star paddler Manika Batra, who claimed an impressive win over giant-slayer Ayhika Mukherjee in the previous tie, USA ace Lily Zhang, and the assertive Jeet Chandra. 

On the opposing side, Jaipur Patriots head into the tie on the back of a win against U Mumba TT. The debutants hold a balanced record, having won one tie out of two, five matches out of 10, and 15 games out of 30 contested. 

Jaipur Patriots’ clash with PBG Bengaluru Smashers is likely to pit South Korean paddler Cho Seung-min, who has impressed with his displays so far, against Robles in a highlight clash. Suthasini Sawettabut, Snehit SFR, and Nithyashree Mani have also laid down strong statements; the trio will look to build upon that in tie 3. 

Squads

PBG Bengaluru Smashers: Manika Batra, Alvaro Robles (Spain), Lily Zhang (USA), Jeet Chandra, Taneesha Kotecha, Amalraj Anthony

Jaipur Patriots: Cho Seungmin (South Korea), Suthasini Sawettabut (Thailand), Snehit SFR, Ronit Bhanja, Moumita Dutta, Nithyashree Mani

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Athlead Goa Challengers vs Jaipur Patriots, UTT, Live Updates© X (Twitter)