For the first time in the history of Indian table tennis, the National men’s and women’s teams qualified for the Olympics through the World team rankings, the final list of which was released on Monday. The Indian men’s team is ranked 15 while the women are 13.
“It is a very big achievement. It’s been a long process. A big thanks to the Executive Committee of Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), coaches and players who have made it happen,” TTFI secretary Kamlesh Mehta told The Hindu.
It will be a four-member team wherein the fourth player will be a substitute. However, it might be a tough call for TTFI to make because in the ‘Race to Paris’ rankings in singles, all the four players are fighting for a place in singles as well as in the team. Sharath is at the top at 53 followed by Manav Thakkar (57), Harmeet Desai (57) and G. Sathiyan (62).
