New Delhi: With the new Olympic cycle starting there have been some movements in the Indian table tennis world in terms of mixed doubles teams.
Once ranked as high as world number four for their exploits at the world level, the pairing of Manika Batra and Sathiyan G has decided to part ways and experiment with other partners.
The duo failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics and with the new cycle commencing, they have decided to partner different players.
While Sathiyan will step up to the table with one of the best Indian woman paddlers in Sreeja Akula, Manika will partner rising youngster Manav Thakkar.
Manika partners Manav Thakkar
Archana Kamath swapping Table Tennis for academics resulted in Manav looking for a new partner in the current Olympic cycle and with Manika also looking for a partner, it made complete sense for them to experiment as a new team.
“I used to play with Archana Kamath in the previous Olympic cycle. With Archana leaving Table Tennis for academics, I was already looking for a partner in the mixed doubles. With Manika di also looking for a new partner, it was a collective decision with the federation and the national coach,” Manav Thakkar told The Bridge over a phone call before leaving for the 2024 Asian Championships.
Manav believes that it is a big opportunity for him and his defensive capabilities is expected to complement Manika’s game.
“Manika di can defend well and she can slow down the game when needed. Similarly, I can also defend and block the shot. When both of us can defend well, it gives us a good chance to stay on the table and counter-attack to finish the game,” Manav explained the similar style of plays as a big catalyst for the partnership.
“Also I think it is a great chance for me to learn from Manika di who has so much of experience,” added Manav.
Sathiyan and Sreeja team up
After failing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sathiyan thought he wanted to look for some freshness in a mixed doubles setting and that is when the conversation of changing partners came up.
“We were thinking that the new Olympic cycle is starting and decided to look for new partners as we have played for a very long time. We discussed collectively with Manika, my coach, and national coach Massimo Costantini to shuffle the partnerships for at least the next two years,” Sathiyan told The Bridge over a phone call before leaving for the 2024 Asian Championships.
Sreeja Akula has been one of the best Indian woman paddlers in the past year with titles in the WTT circuit and a constant rise in the world rankings.
According to Sathiyan, Sreeja’s attacking nature suits his style.
“Sreeja is an attacking player and it matches my style. She has a big attack and it will combine well with my tactical game. Another common thing is that we are fast while playing on the table which suits us both,” explained Sathiyan.
“We would like to see how it goes for the next two years and I am excited for this partnership. Sreeja is recovering from an injury and she will also be fresh after the Olympics,” he concluded.
The two new pairs will be in action at the Asian Table Tennis Championships 2024 and the change ushers in a new phase in table tennis for India.