India’s table tennis campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games comes at a time when the sport is steadily expanding its international footprint. The country has three Asian Games medals to its name, all bronze, but the current generation arrives with stronger credentials and greater exposure at the top level.
The 10-member squad blends experience with youth. G Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai bring years of international competition, while Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah have emerged as one of India’s leading doubles combinations. In the women’s team, Sreeja Akula leads a group that includes Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Syndrela Das.
India also head into the Games after winning both team titles at the 2026 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. The Asian Games, though, will provide a considerably tougher test, with the continent’s strongest table tennis nations in the field.
SATHIYAN, MANAV AND MANUSH LEAD MEN’S CHARGE
Sathiyan, Harmeet, Manav, Manush and Payas Jain form the men’s squad, with Ankur Bhattacharjee and Ronit Bhanja as reserves. Sathiyan, Harmeet and Manav were part of India’s 2018 Asian Games men’s team bronze, giving the squad a direct link to the country’s first medal in the sport.
The spotlight will be on Manav and Manush, currently ranked No. 3 in the world in men’s doubles. The Gujarat pair reunited as seniors in 2023 after playing together in their junior days and have since developed a productive right-left combination. Manav’s counter-attacking game complements Manush’s aggressive left-handed style.
They narrowly missed a medal at the 2022 Asian Games after reaching the quarter-finals. Their return to the continental stage comes with greater experience and a much higher standing in the world rankings.
Sathiyan and Harmeet offer another experienced doubles option, while Payas adds depth to the team and singles events. The men will therefore have opportunities across team, singles and doubles competition.
SREEJA AKULA HEADLINES WOMEN’S CHALLENGE
Sreeja Akula arrives with significant Olympic experience after making an impression at Paris 2024. She reached the women’s singles round of 16 by beating Singapore’s Zeng Jian 4-2 before losing to world No. 1 Sun Yingsha. Sreeja also featured in India’s historic team campaign, combining with Archana Kamath to win the opening doubles match as India defeated fourth-seeded Romania 3-2 and reached the quarter-finals.
Yashaswini adds recent form to the squad after beating Sreeja in the women’s singles final at the 2026 Commonwealth Championships. Sreeja and Syndrela Das also won the women’s doubles title at the event, giving India another combination to rely on.
Syndrela, 17, is among the younger members of the squad and will make her Asian Games debut. Her inclusion reflects the growing depth in India’s women’s setup.
The selection of the women’s squad, however, drew attention because Manika Batra was named among the reserves rather than the main team. The TTFI selection policy gives 50 per cent weight to national rankings, 40 per cent to international rankings and 10 per cent to selectors’ discretion.
Batra was ranked No.51 in the world when the squad was finalised but had not competed in domestic events and therefore did not have a national ranking. She questioned the transparency of the selection process, while the federation maintained that her candidature had been considered under the existing criteria.
CAN INDIA GO BEYOND BRONZE?
India’s Asian Games table tennis breakthrough came at Jakarta-Palembang in 2018, when the men’s team won bronze. Sharath Kamal and Batra added another bronze in mixed doubles at the same Games.
At Hangzhou 2022, held in 2023, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee secured India’s third medal in the sport with a bronze in women’s doubles. India have therefore yet to win a silver or gold in Asian Games table tennis.
Aichi-Nagoya offers a chance to change that record. Manav and Manush bring a world-class doubles ranking, Sreeja has the experience of reaching the Olympic singles last 16, and Yashaswini arrives as the reigning Commonwealth singles champion. Sathiyan and Harmeet add experience to the team events.
The Asian Games field will be significantly stronger than the Commonwealth Championships, particularly with the presence of the continent’s established powers. For India, the challenge is to carry its recent progress onto a bigger stage and turn individual and doubles strength into team success.
After breaking through for its first Asian Games medals in 2018 and adding another in Hangzhou, India now has a squad with greater international experience and more competitive combinations. Aichi-Nagoya will provide the next test of that progress — and another opportunity to push beyond bronze.
INDIA TABLE TENNIS SQUAD FOR ASIAN GAMES 2026
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)
INDIA’S TABLE TENNIS MEDAL WINNERS IN ASIAN GAMES
2018 — Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia
- Bronze: Anthony Amalraj, Harmeet Desai, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Sharath Kamal & Manav Thakkar — Men’s team
- Bronze: Sharath Kamal & Manika Batra — Mixed doubles
2022 — Hangzhou, China
- Bronze: Sutirtha Mukherjee & Ayhika Mukherjee — Women’s doubles
TABLE TENNIS SCHEDULE FOR ASIAN GAMES
September 20, Sunday
- Men’s team – group stage
- Women’s team – group stage
September 21, Monday
- Men’s team – group stage and knockout rounds
- Women’s team – group stage and knockout rounds
- Women’s doubles – opening round
September 22, Tuesday
- Men’s team – round of 16 and quarter-finals
- Women’s team – round of 16 and quarter-finals
- Mixed doubles – opening rounds
September 23, Wednesday
- Men’s team – semi-finals
- Women’s team – semi-finals
- Men’s singles – opening round
- Women’s singles – opening round
- Men’s doubles – opening round
- Mixed doubles – preliminary rounds
September 24, Thursday
- Men’s team – final
- Women’s team – final
- Men’s singles – preliminary round
- Women’s doubles – preliminary round
September 25, Friday
- Men’s singles – preliminary rounds
- Women’s singles – preliminary rounds
- Men’s doubles – preliminary rounds
- Women’s doubles – preliminary rounds
- Mixed doubles – quarter-finals and semi-finals
September 26, Saturday
- Men’s singles – quarter-finals
- Women’s singles – quarter-finals
- Men’s doubles – quarter-finals
- Women’s doubles – quarter-finals
- Mixed doubles – final
September 27, Sunday
Men’s doubles – semi-finals and final
Women’s singles – semi-finals and final
September 28, Monday
- Men’s singles – semi-finals and final
- Women’s doubles – semi-finals and final
– Ends
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