By Admin 
The Indian men’s team has already scripted a hat-trick of bronze medals at the Asian Table Tennis Championships, while the women opened their account with a podium finish in the previous edition. As the continental event returns to home soil, coach Sourav Chakraborty is hopeful of not just a repeat — but an upgrade.
“Last time we had two bronze medals in the men’s and women’s team events, so the target is to change the medal colour,” Sourav told The Hindu on Friday.
“It is very much possible because our players are in very good shape. I am very confident that the teams will really do well. The draw is good. We have a really good opportunity to go further.”
The left-handed duo of Sourav and Sachin Shetty have been assisting head coach Massimo Costantini in India’s bid to consolidate its place among the top-four teams in Asia — a continent that continues to dominate the global table tennis landscape.
While Sourav expects Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar to rise to the occasion in the men’s event, he admitted that the women’s squad will feel the absence of Sreeja Akula (ruled out with a shoulder injury).
“It is very unfortunate. We feel very sorry for her, of course. I wish her a speedy recovery so that she can come back very soon and join the team. But we have a senior like Manika (Batra) with an exuberance of youth, and it’s a fantastic combination.”
India squads: Men: Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, Ankur Bhattacharjee, Payas Jain, SFR Snehit.
Women: Manika Batra, Diya Chitale, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Swastika Ghosh, Sutirtha Mukherjee.