Why Manika Batra’s success won’t aid Manav Thakkar
Punjab News
The disparity in skill was evident as the Indian men’s team lost 3-0 to Chinese Taipei in the semifinals of the Asian TT Championships in Astana on Thursday.
Although India’s victory against Kazakhstan in the quarterfinal secured a medal, they were unable to elevate their performance against the Taipei team, which was led by World No. 11 Lin Yun-Ju.
Despite the defeat, securing their third consecutive medal at the Asian Championships—having previously won bronze in 2021 and 2023—is a significant achievement. However, the Indian team, led by veteran Sharath Kamal, must seriously consider elevating their performance to compete with the best in Asia. It’s important to note that the Taipei team ranks among the top four in Asia, following China, Japan, and Korea.
While the ability to return the ball to the table, regardless of the opponent’s shot, is a common approach, the Indian women’s team has excelled by outsmarting top players with their pimpled rubbers and focusing diligently on their fitness and forehand attacks. In contrast, the men’s game relies heavily on power and speed, with agility playing a crucial role.
Former Indian player Aman Balgu, who now coaches Manika Batra, stated that the top international players are exceptionally fit, which is one of the main distinctions.
“If you see the top players, they bend a lot more, staying lower to the table. It’s not always the case with our players. In order to do that consistently, you need immense fitness, and I feel that’s definitely one area where, if we improve, we can produce better results against top players.”
There was an apparent disparity in skill across all three areas against the Taipei team.
At 42 years old, Sharath opened the match against the nimble Yun-Ju. With nearly two decades of experience, Sharath’s technical skills are unmatched, and he has been a leading figure in Indian men’s table tennis. However, Yun-Ju, the WTT Champions winner in Frankfurt last year, expertly outmaneuvered him by forcing him to move from side to side. Sharath struggled to keep up with the pace, and Yun-Ju’s powerful down-the-line backhands proved too challenging to defend against.
After losing the first game 11-7, Sharath attempted to regain control in the second game by taking an early lead and pushing it to a tie-breaker, but he couldn’t secure the win. He also had a 2-point advantage in the third game but struggled with his serves, allowing Yun-Ju to capitalize on the mistakes and ultimately win the match.
The sole highlight of the match was World No. 60 Manav Thakkar winning one game against World No. 22 Kao Cheng-Jui. Although he lost the match 3-1 (11-9, 8-11, 11-3, 13-11), he remained competitive throughout, except for the third game. He even pushed it to a tie-breaker in the fourth game but was unlucky to lose a point off the net.
Harmeet Desai’s Struggle and Coach Massimo Costantini’s Insights
In what ended up being the last match of the tie, Harmeet Desai was defeated by World No. 70 Huang Yan-Cheng with a score of 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-7). Although Harmeet wasn’t in top form, he was expected to challenge Yan-Cheng, but the Taipei player effectively countered all his attacks. Harmeet struggled to respond quickly to Yan-Cheng’s returns directed at his backhand, which led to him being consistently punished.
Coach Massimo Costantini shared with The Indian Express from Astana that he was satisfied with the overall performance but emphasized the need for individual players to elevate their game and secure significant victories.
“Technically or tactically, we did nothing wrong. We lost against a better team with better players. I’m happy with what we have achieved at this tournament, though we all know that we have to improve. The way we will improve is by getting wins against top players.
“Manav was playing against a top-20 player, but his opponent was actually a little scared of playing against him. That’s a good sign, but it’s only if we get one big win is when we will continue getting big wins. That will come by playing together at more international tournaments,” the Italian said.
Manav told The Indian Express that they are gradually making progress by traveling and training together as a team.
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