Manika Batra Questions Omission from Asian Games 2026 Table Tennis Squad

Manika Batra Raises Concerns Over Selection Process

India's prominent table tennis athlete, Manika Batra, has expressed her disappointment regarding her exclusion from the national team for the upcoming Asian Games 2026. She has called for increased transparency in the selection process after being named as a reserve by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) when they announced the 10-member team for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Batra's Call for Clarity

Following the announcement, Batra took to social media to voice her discontent, stating, "It is disheartening not to be selected for the Asian Games 2026, especially without any clear explanation provided." She further questioned the consistency of the selection criteria, noting that different standards seemed to have been applied compared to previous selections.

Batra concluded her statement by urging the Prime Minister, the Sports Minister, and the Indian Olympic Association to investigate the selection process to ensure fairness and transparency.

Selection Criteria Explained

The TTFI's selection policy assigns 50% weight to national rankings, 40% to world rankings, and 10% to the discretion of the selection committee. Despite being the second-highest ranked female player in India, Batra's absence from domestic competitions negatively affected her national ranking, leading to her omission from the main squad.

The women's team will be captained by Sreeja Akula, who is currently India's highest-ranked female player at world No. 45. Other members of the squad include Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee, and Syndrela Das, with Batra and Swastika Ghosh listed as reserves.

The men's team will be led by G Sathiyan and includes Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, and Payas Jain, with Ankur Bhattacharjee and Ronit Bhanja as reserves.

Batra is one of India's most accomplished table tennis players, having contributed significantly to the country's success at the Asian Games, including winning a mixed doubles bronze alongside Sharath Kamal in Jakarta 2018.

India has also secured other table tennis medals at the Asian Games, including a men's team bronze in 2018 and a women's doubles bronze by Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee at Hangzhou 2023.

The table tennis events at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are set to occur from September 20 to 28.

Asian Games 2026: Indian Table Tennis Team

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).