CHENNAI : Tuesday was another landmark day for Indian table tennis. The boys team comprising of Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, Jeet Chandra and SFR Snehit reached the team final of the Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championship in Nay Pyi Taw. It is the first time India have reached the final of the age-group continental meet.
They beat higher-ranked Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals and Iran in the semifinals. They will now face either China or Japan in the final. The achievement also means India have qualified for the World Junior Championship to be held in Australia from December 2-9. Top five teams in both boys and girls team events make the Worlds cut. India had clinched bronze in this competition in the past but making the summit clash always proved a step too far until now.
"We had come with the aim of making the top 5. This was not expected. All the Asian heavyweights send their strongest junior teams. Winners here go on to become world beaters. This just shows how much the sport has risen in India," coach Soumyadeep Roy told Express from Myanmar. The performance was even more commendable considering India had lost in the group stages against Singapore.Soumyadeep had won bronze in this event in the past as a player but he admits the current lot have the world at their feet. "Confidence is at an all-time high. The juniors now play in so many foreign tournaments unlike us. This exposure has really helped. Also, there is belief in the group that they can beat any team on a given day. The paddlers refuse to give up and keep fighting till the end."
Junior World No 5 Manav has been the standout performer among boys. He won both of his crunch ties in the knockouts. "It is a great achievement that we reached the final as well as qualifying for the World meet. I'm happy that I could help the team," he said.On the other hand, the girls team lost their quarterfinal clash against Korea. But they still have the chance of making it to the Worlds as they will vie for the fifth spot with Chinese Taipei. They had started off better, beating group top seeds Chinese Taipei.ayantan@newindianexpress.com