New Delhi, 28 April (H.S.): The Indian table tennis team is heading into the centenary World Team Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) in London with substantial backing from the Sports Authority of India (SAI), which has disbursed over ₹90 lakh to ensure robust preparation for the event. The 19‑member contingent—comprising 10 players, three coaches, three support staff and three practice partners—will feature stars such as Manika Batra, G. Sathiyan, Manav Thakkar and Harmeet Desai, aiming for a better show than India’s last‑32 exits four years ago in Busan.

The World Team Championships are being held at the OVO Arena Wembley from April 28 to May 10, with India’s men seeded in Group 7 (alongside Slovakia, Tunisia and Guatemala) and the women in Group 6 (against Ukraine, Uganda and Rwanda).

To prepare for the gruelling schedule, SAI organised a phased camp structure: a national coaching camp at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Bengaluru from April 13 to 19 (costing ₹13.26 lakh), followed by an overseas training camp in Sheffield from April 21 to 26 (₹20.92 lakh).

These camps focused on simulating international conditions, improving match‑specific skills and enhancing stamina and tactical reading.

In addition, SAI released nearly ₹60.1 lakh to the Table Tennis Federation of India to cover airfare, accommodation, daily allowances and entry fees for players and officials, thereby easing the organisational and financial burden on the contingent.

With table tennis not included in the 2026 Commonwealth Games programme, the London WTTC assumes added significance as a key preparatory event ahead of the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. The competition also serves as an early benchmark for India’s readiness ahead of the centenary Commonwealth Games to be hosted in India in 2030, giving the federation an opportunity to assess team strength, depth and emerging talent.

India’s men, led by Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, G. Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai, will look to translate their higher rankings into a deep run, while the women’s unit—anchored by Manika Batra and completed by Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitalé, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Syndrella Das—faces a tougher group but hopes to break the earlier round‑of‑32 barrier.

Under the guidance of foreign expert Massimo Costantini and coaches Sourav Chakraborty and Somnath Ghosh, the squad aims to combine technical refinement with greater mental resilience on the world stage.

Officials and coaches say the SAI‑backed, multi‑stage preparation reflects a more structured, long‑term view of table tennis development in India, which they hope will translate into sustainable performances at major global events.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar