At the helm: Sharath and Manika.
| Photo Credit: File Photo: EMMANUAL YOGINI
A. Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra will lead the Indian men’s and women’s teams respectively in the 27th Asian table tennis championships, scheduled in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 7 to 13.
The championships will witness the participation of the continent’s top players, and the selection committee has named the squad accordingly to compete on this grand stage, a release from Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) said.
TTFI has taken into account the world ranking, international experience, and performance at national level as the key criteria for the final squad.
India’s foreign coach Massimo Costantini said: “I am hopeful the players will put their best foot forward in Asthana.”
The Asian championships hold significant importance to he Indian team as it is a crucial qualification event for the Worlds and Asian Games,
The team: Men: A. Sharath Kamal (capt.), Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, G. Sathiyan, Manush Shah; Reserves: S.F.R. Snehit, Jeet Chandra.
Womens: Manika Batra (capt.), Sreeja Akula, Ayhika Mukherjee, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee; Reserves: Yashaswini Ghorpade and Poymantee Baisya.