Bhubaneswar: India’s campaign at the 28th ITTF-ATTU Asian Table Tennis Championships, which begins on Friday at the Kalinga Stadium Indoor Athletics Centre, promises both opportunities and dangers. While the women’s team is confident of its chances of progressing well into the tournament, the men’s team faces a challenging draw that could see them face some of the best players in the world before the semi-finals.
The number 4 seeded Indian men’s team, led by Manav Thakkar, the only Indian currently in the top 50 of the ITTF World Rankings, will have to give their best from the start. They open the quarterfinals against Hong Kong (China) – a team whose players consistently rank among the top 40 in the world and are known for their compact defense and counter topspin precision. A win there would see India face Iran, a rapidly improving team led by Noshed Almiyan, whose aggressive forehand game has made him one of West Asia’s most consistent players.
Beyond Iran the path becomes steeper. The top-seeded Chinese team, led by world No. 1 Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong (World No. 2), remains the gold standard in men’s table tennis. Japan, led by Tomokazu Harimoto, who is currently ranked in the top three in the world, and Korea Republic, with top 20 regulars such as An Jae-hyun and Jang Woojin, are the other heavyweights expected to dominate. In such an undertaking, India’s young line-up of Thakkar, Manush Shah, Payas Jain, Ankur Bhattacharjee and SFR Snehit will need both precision and poise to make an impact.
In contrast, the draw was more favorable for the Indian women’s team, which is also seeded fourth and will face Hong Kong (China) in the quarter-finals of the Champions Division. Should they prevail, they will face second-place Chinese Taipei, who bring depth and balance to their lineup with top-30 players like Lin Yun-Ju and Cheng I-Ching, both top-20 finishers. While the draw theoretically paves a smoother path to the semi-finals, the Indians still need to defeat the qualifiers in their group before climbing to the podium.
However, the summit remains guarded by the powerful Chinese, led by the world’s top three women – Sun Yingsha (No. 1), Wang Manyu (No. 2) and Chen Xingtong (No. 3) – who together form an almost impenetrable entity. Japan, the women’s top seed led by Hina Hayata and Mima Ito, both ranked in the world’s top 10, will again try to challenge China’s supremacy. Between these two titans lies a field full of promise – and India, with its mix of experience and youthful courage, is determined to seize its opportunity.
Meanwhile, the Division 1 qualifying rounds begin tomorrow, with 16 men’s and 14 women’s teams battling it out for promotion to the Elite Champions Division. Of the men who qualify, Iran, Kazakhstan and Singapore are expected to dominate their groups. However, in the women’s qualifiers, the likes of Chinese Taipei, Singapore and Malaysia will be fighting fiercely for promotion. Only two teams make it to the Champions Round.
As Asia’s best gather in Bhubaneswar, the atmosphere is one of anticipation. For India, this is more than just another continental challenge – it is a test of depth, belief and ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with the sport’s powerhouses. With the home crowd behind them and momentum on their side, the men and women will look to put in a performance worthy of their growing reputation.
The lights are ready, the tables are shining and the paddles will soon be singing – as India prepares for their most crucial continental test yet.
The seeding list:
Men: China, Chinese Taipei, Republic of Korea, India, Japan, Hong Kong (China).
Women: Japan, China, Hong Kong (China), India, DPR Korea and the Republic of Korea.
Men’s qualification (Division 1 groups):
Group A: Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan.
Group B: Iran, Mongolia, Maldives.
Group C: Singapore, Uzbekistan, Oman.
Group D: Malaysia, Korea DPR, Macau (China).
Group E: Thailand, Qatar, Nepal, Bangladesh.
Women’s qualification (Division 1 groups):
Group A: Thailand, Mongolia, Sri Lanka.
Group B: Singapore, Kazakhstan, Maldives.
Group C: Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan, Macau (China), Bangladesh.
Group D: Malaysia, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Nepal.
Draw men (Champions Division):
Quarterfinals: Japan vs Korea DPR, Q1 vs India, Hong Kong (China) vs South Korea, Q2 vs China.
Draw women (Champions Division):
Quarterfinals: China vs Q1, Japan vs South Korea, India vs Hong Kong (China), Q2 vs Chinese Taipei.
