Manika Batra misses out on Asian Games due to a loss of three ranking points.

MUMBAI: Manika Batra, India’s most prominent table tennis player, has been excluded from the national squad for the upcoming Asian Games due to her failure to meet the selection criteria established by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). The Games are set to take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.

In her absence, the Indian women’s team will be captained by Sreeja Akula, alongside teammates Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee, and 17-year-old Syndrela Das. Both Manika and fellow player Swastika Ghosh have been designated as reserves for the event. The TTFI emphasized that the selection process aimed to ensure that the most consistent and highest-ranked players were chosen to represent India at this prestigious multi-sport competition.

The selection policy implemented in 2023 assigns a weightage of 50 percent to national rankings, 40 percent to world rankings, and the remaining 10 percent is at the discretion of the selection committee. Players ranked within the top 50 globally automatically qualify, regardless of their national standings. Manika’s exclusion has raised eyebrows, particularly since she was ranked World No. 51 as of the June 2 cut-off, just three points shy of the 50th position.

Reports indicate that the decision to omit Manika was not unanimous among the nine-member selection committee. Inputs from national coach Massimo Costantini were also considered during the selection discussions. The narrow margin of her ranking highlights the competitive nature of the selection process; a single Round-of-64 appearance at a WTT Star Contender event could have provided her with the necessary points to secure a spot in the top 50.

Manika, a multiple Commonwealth Games medallist and part of the historic mixed doubles bronze-medal-winning team at the 2018 Asian Games, remains India’s second-highest-ranked female player, following Sreeja Akula, who is currently ranked World No. 45. Her absence from several domestic tournaments this season was a significant factor in her exclusion. Coach Aman Balgu noted that the selectors might have overlooked the personal challenges she faced over the past year, including a serious injury and the recent loss of her father, which limited her participation in competitions.

Balgu expressed disappointment over the decision, stating, “According to our calculations, Manika will be the top-ranked Indian women’s player as soon as next month. She has had decent results this year, and it’s unfortunate that she won’t be in the squad.” Meanwhile, the men’s team will be spearheaded by top-ranked players Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah, with seasoned athletes G. Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai also included, alongside young talent Payas Jain.