Manika Batra named in reserve as India announce Asian Games 2026 Table Tennis squad
New Delhi, June 19
India's star table tennis player Manika Batra has been left out of the country's main squad for the Asian Games 2026 and has instead been named among the reserves, according to Olympics.com.
Olympians Sreeja Akula and G Sathiyan Gnanasekaran will lead the 10-member Indian table tennis contingent for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Games. The squad comprises five men and five women, along with two reserves in each category.
Selections were made based on the federation's policy, which gives 50 per cent weightage to national rankings, 40 per cent to world rankings, and 10 per cent to the selection committee's discretion.
Despite being one of India's most accomplished paddlers, Manika Batra failed to secure a place in the main squad. The 31-year-old was placed among the reserves, largely due to her absence from domestic competitions, which affected her national ranking.
This came even though she remains the second-highest-ranked Indian in women's singles on the international circuit.
The women's team will be led by Sreeja Akula, currently India's top-ranked female player at world number 45, ahead of Manika. The squad also includes Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee and emerging player Syndrela Das.
On the men's side, veteran Sathiyan will spearhead the team alongside Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah and Payas Jain.
Table tennis events at the Asian Games 2026 will be held from September 20 to 28, featuring team, singles and doubles competitions.
India has so far won only three medals in table tennis at the Asian Games, all of them bronze. Manika Batra and Sharath Kamal had clinched a mixed doubles bronze in Jakarta 2018, while Harmeet Desai, Sathiyan and Manav Thakkar were part of the men's team that also secured bronze in the same edition. Sutirtha and Ayhika Mukherjee added another bronze in women's doubles at Hangzhou 2023.
Asian Games 2026: India table tennis squad
Men: G Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, Payas Jain.
Women: Sreeja Akula, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Syndrela Das.
Reserves: Ankur Bhattacharjee, Ronit Bhanja (men); Swastika Ghosh, Manika Batra (women).
— ANI
Reader Comments
Brilliant to see young talents like Syndrela Das getting a chance! 🇮🇳 But Manika being a reserve is baffling. She's world no. 2 in India! Rules are rules, I guess. Hope the selectors also consider that our top players need to balance international tournaments and domestic ones. Both are important for India's table tennis growth.
Interesting how the selection criteria works. 50% national ranking, 40% world ranking, 10% committee discretion. Manika has the world ranking but not the national one. It shows how different systems can clash. That said, having her as a reserve is a good safety net. What a depth in Indian table tennis!
As a sports fan, I feel this is a wake-up call for Manika. If she wants to represent India, she needs to play domestic tournaments too. But honestly, the selection committee should use that 10% discretion more wisely. You don't bench your best player just because of a technicality. Common sense needs to prevail sometimes!
Sreeja Akula deserves her spot, she's been consistent. But Manika being a reserve? 🤔 This is India's best chance to win gold in table tennis at Asian Games, and we're leaving out our star. Hope the federation reconsiders this. We need our strongest squad, not just one that follows a rigid formula.
Proud to see Indian table tennis growing! 🏓 The squad has a good mix of experience and youth. Manika's situation is unfortunate, but maybe this will motivate her to dominate domestic tournaments too. And hey,
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