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CHENNAI: Ayhika Mukherjee has a tattoo on each of her wrists. One on her right wrist says "Sabr" (the Urdu word for patience), and the one on her left wrist says "Let Go and Let God."
"These are close to my heart and they have helped me a lot," Mukherjee said after her side, Puneri Paltan, beat Ahmedabad SG Pipers 10-5 to launch their campaign in Ultimate Table Tennis here on Friday.
"I don't have patience, I could say. That is why I put this word here: patience. So I could see it and remind myself that I need to be patient," Mukherjee added. She used that 'wrist advice' while facing Bernadette Szocs of Romania, world No. 13, in a women's singles match.
Picked as their numero uno by Puneri Paltan for her ability to shock higher-ranked players, Mukherjee let her paddle do the talking against the Romanian. Her performance came at a time when Paltan's team captain, Joao Monteiro, had to surrender his lead against his counterpart, Manush Shah. The format of Ultimate Table Tennis dictates that winning each game counts towards the final tally. With Paltan 1-2 down, Mukherjee was the underdog, but she did not let anything affect her.
After taking a 5-3 lead in the first game, the 27-year-old maintained it to level the score 2-2 with the Pipers. A similar pattern continued in the second game, as the Romanian could not recover. There was no escape for the international player as Mukherjee's spin continued to trouble Szocs even in the final game. From 1-2 after the first match, Paltan had turned the tables to go 4-2 against the UTT debutant SG Pipers, ultimately setting the foundation for their victory.
"Ahmedabad is a strong team. She (Szocs) is the highest-ranked player we have this season, male or female, and I was excited to play her. I was happy because I have always loved playing against them. It turned out well for me. I think she was having some problems facing me, but I am sure the next time we face each other, she will come back stronger. I have been watching her since my junior days. I like to watch her matches. Recently, I saw her playing against Manika Batra. I guess (watching her up close) helped a lot here. I could say I was able to read her well," Mukherjee simplified.
This was not the first time the Asian Games bronze medallist had stunned players better ranked than her. Earlier this year, while representing India at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan, Mukherjee grabbed headlines when she outfoxed world No. 1 Sun Yingsha 3-1 (12-10, 2-11, 13-11, 11-6) to give her team a head start.
When asked if these giant-killing methods are turning out to be like an addiction, Mukherjee laughed before politely declining it. "It's not like an addiction or anything to beat the top players, but I do enjoy the competition against the best players," she said.
This was just the first fixture of the UTT for Paltan in the fifth season of the competition. More challenges are waiting for them. If they are to win their first title, Mukherjee might have to deliver such performances again and again.