India’s men’s and women’s table tennis teams achieved victories against New Zealand and Spain, respectively, in their final group stage matches at the World Table Tennis Team Championships.
Led by Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, and Ayhika Mukherjee, the women’s team showed resilience to orchestrate a remarkable comeback, securing a 3-2 victory and progressing to the knockout stage.
Initially trailing at 2-0 after losses by Manika and Sreeja, the Indian team maintained their composure and reversed the situation, dashing Spain’s hopes of advancing to the knockout rounds.
Ayhika spurred the Indian team to an unprecedented comeback, securing a hard-fought win against Elvira Rad. Manika then dominated Maria Xiao to even the scoreline. Sreeja sealed the victory with a 3-1 triumph over Sofia, securing India’s place in the next round.
Meanwhile, the men’s team comfortably cruised to a 3-0 victory over New Zealand. Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran dominated their respective matches, while Manush Shah fought hard to secure the win.
Harmeet defeated Timothy Choi in three straight games, and Gnanasekaran similarly defeated Alfred Dela Pena. Manush faced a tough challenge from Maxwell, who pushed him to make comebacks twice to stay in the match.
In the end, Manush elevated his performance and clinched the final set to ensure India’s spot in the knockout stages.
