Sathiyan, Sharath and Manika to lead Indian challenge

The trio of G. Sathiyan, Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra will spearhead India’s challenge at the Asian Table Tennis Championships starting on Sunday in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

The Asian Championships is a qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The 10-member squad, comprising five men and as many women paddlers, reached the Indonesian city on Saturday following a 10-day preparatory camp at Chengdu, China.

In the women’s section, all eyes will be on Manika. She has paired up with Madhurika Patkar in doubles events, and the duo will hope the combination works well.

The squad:

Men: Manav Thakkar, Anthony Amalraj, G. Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai and A. Sharath Kamal.

Women: Sutirtha Mukherjee, Madhurika Patkar, Ayhika Mukherjee, Manika Batra and Archana Kamath .