Manika Batra’s return adds extra edge to National ranking table tennis in Panchkula

Three years is a long time in sport, and for Manika Batra, the wait has been made even longer by the controversy that followed her omission from India’s Asian Games squad. Now, with the Aichi-Nagoya Games behind her, the country’s leading woman paddler is ready to step back onto the domestic stage—and her return could be one of the biggest talking points of the second National Ranking Table Tennis Championships, which begin at the Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium in Panchkula on Tuesday.

Paddlers Manush and Divya win a bronze medal in mixed doubles event at Asian Games

Representing the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB), Manika will make her first domestic appearance since the Senior Nationals in Panchkula in December 2023. On that occasion, the top seed suffered a shock second-round exit, losing 2-3 to Haryana’s unseeded Prithoki Chakraborty in a closely fought women’s singles contest. However, Manika did not feature in the PSPB squad at the Nationals and has not competed on the domestic circuit since. She will pick up from where she left off in Panchkula nearly three years ago.

Manika not picked for Asian Games

That long absence acquired a much sharper significance this year. She was left out of India’s main Asian Games squad after being ranked No. 51 in the world at the relevant cutoff—just three ranking points behind the player at No. 50—and was named among the reserves. The selection framework reportedly gave 50 per cent weightage to national rankings, 40 per cent to world rankings and 10 per cent to the selectors’ discretion, while players inside the world top 50 had an automatic route. Because Manika had not been playing domestic events, she didn’t have a current national ranking to strengthen her case.

Her return, therefore, is more than just another entry on a tournament sheet. It allows Manika to rebuild her domestic ranking and, perhaps more importantly, to put the episode behind her through competition rather than words.

Manika up against Sreeja, Yashaswini

She will not, however, have the stage to herself and will first have to negotiate the group stage. The women’s singles field features a formidable line-up of Indian regulars, including Sreeja Akula, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Diya Chitale and young prospect Syndrela Das.

Sreeja Akula, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Diya Chitale and young prospect Syndrela Das will pose quite a challenge for Manika Batra

The men’s singles draw is equally competitive, with Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, G. Sathiyan, Payas Jain and Harmeet Desai among the leading names.

For Diya and Manush, the tournament also comes on the back of a memorable Asian Games campaign. The pair returned from Aichi-Nagoya with India’s lone table-tennis medal, taking bronze in mixed doubles after a quarterfinal upset of Hong Kong’s world No. 4 combination Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem. Their medal made it three successive Asian Games editions in which India has stood on the table-tennis podium, following medals at Jakarta in 2018 and Hangzhou in 2022.

For Manika, meanwhile, there is an immediate reminder that her international game remains capable of producing big results. At the ongoing China Smash, she entered the main draw as a wildcard and stunned Brazil’s world No. 27 Bruna Takahashi 3-2, recovering from 8-10 down in the deciding game to prevail 12-10. The official tournament results confirm the scoreline: 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 5-11, 12-10.

Diya Chitale and Manush Shah returned from Aichi-Nagoya with India’s lone table-tennis medal, taking bronze in mixed doubles after a quarterfinal upset of Hong Kong’s world No. 4 combination Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem

That result makes her domestic comeback particularly intriguing. The question is no longer whether Manika can still trouble elite opponents internationally; she has just shown that she can. The more immediate question is how that level translates when she returns to a domestic field she has largely stayed away from for four years.

The championships themselves are set to be a sizeable undertaking. The eight-day event, scheduled from October 6 to 13, has attracted 3,005 entries, with 1,731 players competing across 12 sections. The programme opens with the Under-11 and Under-13 boys’ and girls’ group matches before moving through the junior and senior categories.

The junior competitions should add another layer of intensity, with the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 boys’ and girls’ events woven into the championship schedule and bringing a new generation of Indian paddlers into the spotlight.

The competition department will use Stag equipment, including 24 tables, flooring and balls. Competition manager N Ganeshan will oversee the championships, with AS Kler as referee and CL Thade and R Krishna Kumar as his deputies. They will be assisted by 55 Blue Badge, International and National umpires.

But while the sheer scale of the championships guarantees plenty of action, there is little doubt about the storyline that will command the most attention.

After four years away from the domestic circuit, and after an Asian Games omission that placed her relationship with the national selection system under an uncomfortable spotlight, Manika Batra is back where rankings, results and reputation meet at the same table.

And this time, every point will count.