Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games 2022: Indian table tennis players who can win medals
Here's a look at the Indian paddlers who can win medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Sathiyan and Manika with their 2022 WTT Doha Contender Trophy (Source: sathiyantt/Twitter)
After finishing the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on a high, the Indian table tennis contingent will be looking to repeat the scintillating performances and scoop up as many medals as possible in Birmingham. Headlined by the likes of Manika Batra, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, and veteran Sharath Kamal, India has a sent a very strong squad for the quadrennial event.
Here, we take a look at the paddlers who can win medals for India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Manika Batra (Women's singles)
The Gold Coast gold medallist, Manika Batra, will be rearing to repeat the feat and get home the gold once again. Last time out, she was an omnipresent force, be it in the singles, women's doubles, or even the women's team event.
This time too, Batra is one of the highly rated players from the Indian contingent and the favorite to get her second gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (Men's singles)
Amongst the male Indian paddlers in the team, Sathiyan's current form pegs him as a medal hopeful, and might just go all the way to win the gold. Last time, a loss in the quarter-finals meant he couldn't medal in Gold Coast, but he would certainly hope to change that in the singles event in Birmingham.
Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (Men's doubles)
The Kamal-Gnanasekaran duo will be hoping for an upgrade on their medal's colour this time. After already having won the bronze in men's doubles in 2018, they must be hoping to get silver in Birmingham, if not the gold.
Manika Batra and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (Mixed doubles)
While 2018's bronze medal is impetus enough for Batra-Gnanasekaran to perform even better to medal higher, the duo's brilliant silver-winning performance at the WTT Contender 2022 in Doha will provide enough momentum.
The pair missed out on the gold in the WTT tournament after losing out to Chinese Taipei's mixed doubles pair in the finals. The Indian duet will be aiming for the gold, and they have the prowess to do just that.
Manika Batra and Diya Chitale (Women's doubles)
Mouma Das was Batra's partner when they won the silver in the 2018 edition. In Das's absence from the contingent, Batra will have to take charge while partnering with 19-year-old debutant Diya Chitale.
Despite the imbalance in experience between the two, the Batra-Chitale pair can certainly bring a medal home from Birmingham.
Indian Men's Team
The quartet which remains unchanged after their golden run in 2018, Sharath Kamal, Sanil Shetty, Harmeet Desai, and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, are more than capable contenders to return home with the Men's team gold this time too.
Indian Women's Team
The women's team has got a completely new look to it with only Batra remaining from the gold-winning squad from 2018. Despite the presence of a lot of newcomers (Diya Chitale, Sreeja Akula, and Reeth Rishya), together they can pose a serious threat to other teams, and contend for a podium finish.
