Among all the racket sports, Table tennis (TT) is the poor man’s game in most cities in India. In Mumbai, most buildings, schools & colleges have a TT table where kids/students play whenever they have free time.
And though there’s usually good participation from students in various inter-school table-tennis competitions, most of them, eventually, seem to give up the sport.
However, that could change in the future as many other sports, besides cricket, are producing stars who’re quite popular in India.
Will Ultimate Table-Tennis (UTT) League Make a Difference?
The Ultimate table-tennis (UTT) league has definitely made a difference to the sports in India.
The league has created awareness about the sport, more people are getting attracted towards the sport, and the money offered to the players in the league is also good.
No wonder, more Indian players are doing well at the international level in Table Tennis.
Fitness Matters in Table Tennis As Well
Most Indian table tennis (TT) coaches feel that the talent is there and the players are willing to learn but they all have to improve a lot in the area of fitness.
Most players think that one good stroke will help them win a point, whereas the fact is that at international levels you need to hit three or four drives before you can finish the point.
If a player is not fit, he/she finds it difficult to maintain the quality of play, and it’s easy to lose the intensity around the table.
So fitness is indeed a big area of improvement for most table tennis players.
Most coaches also feel that women have a lot of catching up to do on the international stage. Most men already play in European clubs, so they get to play and practice with quality players, whereas the women get to practice mostly in camps and that, too, in India. So even that needs to change!
India vs Other Countries
China and Germany produce top table-tennis players and they are good in sports in general. They have a first-class league between different clubs and they host several competitions. These countries are way ahead of India.
As a country, we need more participants and many more competitions.
Having said that, Indians are slowly making their presence felt. For example, Manav Thakkar of India was once world number 1, in the under-18s.
So you never know, India could become a powerhouse in Table Tennis (just as it did in Badminton.
Manika Batra, gave up college, modelling to focus on Table Tennis
Table tennis player Manika Batra is the top-ranked female table tennis player in India. However, going by her looks and height, she could have opted for a career in the glamour world, but instead, she chose to focus on Table Tennis.
She even gave up college. Unable to devote (full) time to college, Manika now studies through distance learning.
I was in Jesus and Mary College (JMC) but I hardly ever attended college. I must have gone just once a month, only to sit for exams, because I was always travelling and training. I even missed the freshers’ party and the college fests. But honestly, I don’t mind missing out on these things, because I representing India internationally, instead. That was more important.” Eventually, Manika dropped out of JMC and is currently pursuing BA (Prog) from DU’s School of Open Learning. “I couldn’t attend classes or do justice to college. So, I thought correspondence was the best option,” she says.
“People should know me through table tennis,” says Manika, who is the number 1 female paddler in India, and wishes to do well in the international circuit as well.
A predominantly back-hand player, Manika will have to work on her fitness and aggression to take on the top ranked players.
“If we start winning in Olympics and Commonwealth Games, I think table tennis can become like, say badminton. Look at how much PV Sindhu [Olympics silver medal] changed the sport,” says Manika.
One of her practice sessions.
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