With the creamy layer of country’s table tennis at its service, Petroleum will again look to complete an annual ritual of keeping the Inter-Institutional table tennis team titles, once the action commences here on Tuesday.
The event, originally allotted to Manipal in Karnataka, was shifted here due to paucity of suitable accommodation. On the rebound, the Capital-based Table Tennis Foundation (TTF) opted to host the premier event.
In the absence of any noteworthy challenge in the 47th edition of the event at the Sant Sujan Singhji International School here, Petroleum men will eye the team title for the 24th year in succession. Similarly, the ladies from Petroleum start as favourites for the 23rd time, on the trot.
With the finalists enjoying direct seeding to the next National championship, the point of interest shifts to the race for the runner-up spot in both sections.
Unlike in the past, Railways has ceased to be the second best team in the competition. Airport Authority of India (AAI) players have shown more consistency and finished runner-up in both sections last year in Jaipur.
Though National champion Sharath Kamal will miss the three-day team event and be back for the individual competition, Petroleum will be more than a handful for its nearest challenger — AAI, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or Railways.
Among the ladies, Petroleum’s nearest challenger could be either AAI, RBI, Air India or Railways. National champion Madhurika Patkar, Manika Batra, Pooja Sahasrabudhe, Archana Kamath and Poulomi Ghatak make Petroleum too strong.
The groupings: Men: Group A: Petroleum, Food Corporation and Ordnance Factory; Group B: Airport Authority, LIC and Electricity Board; Group C: Reserve Bank, Employees State Insurance, and Ministry of Communications & Information Technology; Group D: Railways, Defence Accounts and Atomic Energy.
Women: Group A: Petroleum, MC & IT, and Indian Audit; Group B: AAI, LIC and Food Corporation; Group C: RBI, Central Revenue, ESIC; Group D: Air India, Railways, Defence Accounts and BSNL .
