Nonchalance is one way to describe Ankur Bhattacharjee, the teenage table tennis sensation who has taken UTT 2024 by storm.
Although he was drafted last year, Ankur had to leave before he could play a single game due to the South Asian Youth Table Tennis Championship in Arunachal Pradesh, in which he won gold.
Making his debut this year for the Puneri Platens, the Kolkata-born paddler was up against Frenchman Lilian Dardet, an experienced campaigner.
What followed was three games of high-octane and fierce table tennis from the teenager, as he blew his opponent away 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-8).
The word was out. Ankur had arrived on the world stage.
Since then, he has won four of his five matches at the UTT, losing just once to the legendary Sharath Kamal.
What made his game even more impressive was that Ankur brought a Virat Kohli-like aggression to the table, being very vocal after every point and raising the energy of the entire arena.
“Outside the court, I am a very different person. I am not aggressive. But it takes over once I am in the court and it helps me with my game,” Ankur said, in an exclusive interview with The Bridge.
From cricket to table tennis
Like most kids, Ankur initially tried his hand at cricket before realizing it was not his sport. He then decided to take up table tennis, thanks to his parents who were former players themselves.
“Since my mom and dad both were players, they insisted that I also play table tennis. I joined an academy when I was 9 and in one year, I was a state champion. Thus began my journey,” he said.
His father, Anushman Bhattacharjee, a renowned table tennis player and coach in the Kolkata circuit, has taken up the responsibility of training his son as well.
“I have not played under any other coach. I have an academy at home, so I play under the guidance of my father. My parents give me a lot of confidence. They tell me to play freely, and they never put pressure on me to win,” he said.
“There was never any pressure to study. My school also supports me a lot, I don’t have to attend classes every day and they support me on that,” he added.
An important figure in Ankur’s career is Kamlesh Mehta, the eight-time national championship winner. The veteran coach rates Ankur highly and helped the youngster in every way possible.
“He helps me a lot. He used to call me for national camps and help me with tickets and everything. Currently, I do not have a sponsor and he is helping with that as well,” he said.
Debut UTT experience
Although Ankur had done well in the youth circuit, UTT is the major league and Ankur has so far, looked comfortable.
The pressure of playing in big tournaments is not a thing for Ankur, who opined that once on the court, the pressure is non-existent.
“When I am out, There is pressure obviously but when I get to the table, I don’t feel any pressure. I play freely and don’t worry about the scores, I am focused on giving my 100%,” said the teenager.
Ankur did make an interesting observation about the extent of exposure that international paddlers received, which according to him, enhanced their levels.
“In India, there is a lot of difference between Juniors and Seniors, but when I play International matches against higher ranked junior players, they have a lot of experience, they always play in a bigger hall, we don’t get such infrastructure all the time here.”
“In that way, UTT has been a great experience, playing against world-class players,” he added.
Big goals ahead
UTT is just the first step for young Ankur, who has his eyes set on bigger targets this year, particularly the Junior World C’ships and China Smash later this year.
“There is the World Junior World Championship in November. I recently got selected in China Smash as well, which is the senior men’s. I will try to win a medal for India,” he said.
The Kolkata boy with a fiery passion for table tennis is all set to take on the world, and if his current trajectory is any proof, he will be the poster boy for Indian table tennis very soon.