Of the seven events in table tennis at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, India came close to winning medals in three, a haul that could have resulted in the country’s best-ever performance at the Asiad. Instead, they returned with a solitary bronze medal, won by the women’s doubles pair of Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee, while the men’s team and men’s doubles bowed out in the quarterfinals. National coach Sourav Chakraborty still believes India’s medal tally should have been higher and hopes those near misses can be converted into podium finishes this time at the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, now just over a month away.
The mixed-team format used in UTT will also feature at the Los Angeles Olympics. The ITTF has credited UTT for pioneering it. What has been your biggest learning?
For the first time, Chakraborty has joined Ultimate Table Tennis as head coach of Ahmedabad APL Pipers, who currently sit second in the points table in Season 7 and are on course for the semifinals. Besides guiding his franchise, the national coach has also had the chance to closely observe several members of India’s Asian Games squad in action.
He may be keeping his notes to himself for now before the squad assembles for the Commonwealth Championships in Delhi, which begin a day after the conclusion of UTT. Among those under his watch are youngsters Payas Jain and Syndrela Das, both set to make their Asian Games debut, with Payas part of the Ahmedabad setup.
The Indian squad will have more time together after the Commonwealth Championships, with nearly a month between the tournament and the Asian Games, during which the team will also attend a preparatory camp.
It’s a fantastic format. We’ve also seen something similar at the Mixed Team World Cup. Players are gradually getting familiar with it and adapting to it. If this format is used at the LA 2028 Olympics, it will definitely benefit players because they’ll already have experience playing under similar conditions.
Before the Asian Games, we’ll first play the Commonwealth Championships starting on July 27. Most of the players here will also be part of that team.
Although UTT has a different format, playing competitive matches here is excellent preparation. There are also more international tournaments coming up before the Asian Games. Overall, the Indian players are in very good shape and look fully prepared. I hope India has a very successful Asian Games campaign.
Not really. During UTT everyone is focused on their respective franchises. We’re always in touch, but proper discussions will happen once we assemble with the Indian team on the 26th. That’s when we’ll start planning for the tournaments ahead.
Not really. We don’t specifically discuss TTR before matches because it comes with both advantages and risks. If you ask for a review and it’s unsuccessful, you lose the point. That said, it’s very useful in situations involving doubtful serves, the height or angle of the ball, edge balls or net touches. In those situations, TTR really helps. Overall, I like the way it has been introduced. I think it’s a very interesting addition to the game.
Have you already started discussing preparations with the players?
All our matches have been very close. In this format, even a 7-8 or 8-7 result can decide everything. Then there are the Golden Points, which make it even more interesting. The teams are also very evenly matched, with top foreign players in both the men’s and women’s categories. Every match has been competitive. Even the ones we lost were decided by just a couple of points. If we had won two or three crucial points in those ties, the result could easily have gone our way.
Yes, definitely. India has a very balanced squad. We have strong men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles combinations. That balance will be a big advantage, apart from our singles players. This kind of team format suits India very well.
I think UTT has changed the landscape of Indian table tennis. Indian players now get the opportunity to compete alongside and against some of the best players in the world, something that wasn’t possible earlier. No one had done this before. I would really like to thank UTT for bringing world-class foreign players here. The interaction between top international players, India’s senior stars and young players has been invaluable. Initiatives like DUJ are also very interesting. Overall, what UTT is doing for Indian table tennis is simply amazing.
At the last Asian Games, we won one medal, but I believe we missed out on at least two more. Manav and Manush were very close, while both the men’s and women’s teams lost in the quarterfinals. This time, I hope we can convert those missed opportunities into medals. We also have multiple doubles pairs ranked among the world’s best, and the overall squad is much more balanced. Looking at the rankings and current form, every player is doing well. I’m hopeful India will have a much stronger performance.
Team Analysis
On the sidelines of the ongoing seventh edition of the UTT, Chakraborty spoke exclusively to Hindustan Times on the Asian Games that has been coming up, the UTT season, his experience in the debut season and the learnings. Here are excerpts:
It’s been fantastic. I think UTT is one of the best table tennis events in the world, probably the best. The experience has been really nice.
What are your expectations from the Indian team?
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Payas has been playing really well. Syndrela has been magical. The way she’s performed here has been fantastic. If you look at the Indian squad overall, it’s a very young team. I believe this group can go a long way. They’re highly professional, extremely motivated and eager to succeed.
I find it very interesting. Especially when the opposition asks for a TTR review, the music creates so much suspense that you start wondering what’s going to happen next. It’s actually quite exciting. TTR can be very helpful in certain situations, so I think it’s a good addition.
