10 october 2024 : The Indian men’s table tennis team secured its third consecutive bronze medal at the Asian Championships by defeating Kazakhstan 3-1 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday in Astana.
The men’s medal was confirmed after the women’s team lost to Japan in the semifinals, also ending with a bronze.
In the men’s quarterfinals, World No. 60 Manav Thakkar gave India an early lead by stunning Kazakhstan’s top-ranked player, World No. 41 Kirill Gerassimenko, with a dominant 3-0 win (11-9, 11-7, 11-6). Despite Gerassimenko’s usual strength, he couldn’t handle Thakkar’s aggressive play.
Kazakhstan’s Alan Kurmangaliyev (No. 183) leveled the tie by beating Harmeet Desai 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-8) with a powerful performance, making the score 1-1.
Veteran Sharath Kamal then put India back in the lead, defeating Aidos Kenzhigulov 3-0 (11-4, 11-7, 12-10) with his experience and finesse.
The decisive rubber saw Harmeet Desai face Gerassimenko. After a slow start, Desai regained his rhythm and turned the match in his favor, winning 3-2 (6-1 in the final game) to secure India’s semifinal spot and guarantee the bronze. India had previously won bronze in 2021 and 2023.
This victory marked India’s seventh overall medal at the Asian Championships. They will face either Chinese Taipei or Japan in the semifinals.
Women’s Team Secures Historic Bronze
The Indian women’s team won their first-ever bronze medal after losing 1-3 to Japan in the semifinals.
Despite a strong performance against South Korea, India’s chances of reaching the finals were hurt by strategic errors, including the absence of foreign coach Massimo Costantini and the surprising decision to bench top-ranked player Sreeja Akula against Japan.
Ayhika Mukherjee, who performed well against South Korea, started strong against Miwa Harimoto (No. 7) but eventually lost 2-3 (8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11, 7-4). Miwa struggled against Ayhika’s unconventional pimpled rubber but couldn’t capitalize on her opportunities.
Manika Batra leveled the score by defeating Satsuki Odo (No. 17) 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-8), but Mima Ito (No. 9) dominated Sutirtha Mukherjee, winning 3-0 (11-9, 11-4, 15-13), putting Japan ahead.
In the final match, Batra couldn’t maintain her momentum and lost to Miwa 3-1 (11-6, 6-11, 11-2, 11-3), confirming India’s exit but ensuring a historic bronze finish for the women’s team.