Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra to Lead India's Table Tennis Teams at Paris Olympics

India's table tennis contingent for the upcoming Paris Olympics has been finalized, with veteran Sharath Kamal and world no. 24 Manika Batra leading the men's and women's squads respectively. The six-member teams (three in each section) were selected by the senior selection committee of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) based on the latest world rankings.

Sharath, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar will form the men's team, while Manika, Sreeja Akula, and Archana Kamath will represent India in the women's category. G. Sathiyan and Ayhika Mukherjee will serve as alternate players in each section.

In the men's singles, Sharath and Harmeet will compete, while Manika and Sreeja will represent India in the women's event. The selection was made as per the Olympics norms and the TTFI's pre-established criteria.

Sharath, 41, will be making his fifth and final Olympic appearance in Paris. He made his Games debut in 2004 and has been a consistent performer for India over the years.

The selection of the women's team sparked some debate, with Archana Kamath edging out Ayhika Mukherjee for the third spot. Kamath's higher world ranking (103) and consistent performances gave her the edge over Mukherjee (133).

In the men's team, Sharath's top ranking (No. 40) ensured his selection, while Harmeet (No. 63) and Manav (No. 62) were separated by one slot in the world rankings. Harmeet's superior international and national performances earned him the nod over Manav.

Massimo Costantini, a special invitee at the selection meeting, provided valuable inputs that aided in the team selection. Costantini will take charge of the Indian team for a third time next week.

Alternate players Sathiyan and Ayhika will travel with the team to Paris but will not stay in the official Games Village. They will be available in case of an injury to any of the main players.

Tags: #TableTennis, #ParisOlympics, #SharathKamal, #ManikaBatra, #IndianTableTennis