Doubles events India's best medal hopes in table tennis at Asian Games: Neha Aggarwal
Synopsis
India has won only three table tennis medals at the Asian Games — all bronze — but former Olympian Neha Aggarwal Sharma believes Aichi-Nagoya could change that. With Sreeja Akula in career-best form, a battle-hardened men's unit, and a 17-year-old debutant already drawing comparisons to seasoned pros, the doubles draw is where India's best chance lies — and Neha wants nothing less than a step-change at the Asian level.
Key Takeaways
Former India Olympian Neha Aggarwal Sharma says mixed doubles, men's doubles, and women's doubles are India's best medal bets at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games .
Table tennis matches run from 20 to 28 September at the Sky Hall Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, Japan .
Sreeja Akula and G Sathiyan lead a 10-member Indian squad ; Manika Batra was controversially named only as a reserve.
India has won just three Asian Games medals in table tennis, all bronze — at Jakarta 2018 and Hangzhou 2023 .
17-year-old Syndrela Das makes her Asian Games debut; Neha praised her maturity and ability to handle pressure.
Indian paddlers now compete in roughly 15–16 international tournaments a year , giving them strong exposure to global opponents and conditions.
Former India international Neha Aggarwal Sharma has backed the country's table tennis contingent at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games to surpass its historically modest medal tally, singling out the mixed doubles, men's doubles, and women's doubles events as the brightest opportunities for podium finishes at the continental showpiece.
India's Squad and Key Players
Olympians Sreeja Akula and G Sathiyan headline a 10-member Indian squad for the tournament, with table tennis matches scheduled from 20 to 28 September at the Sky Hall Toyota in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The men's contingent features Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, and Payas Jain, with Ankur Bhattacharjee and Ronit Bhanja named as reserves.
On the women's side, Sreeja — India's highest-ranked female paddler — leads a team comprising Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee, and 17-year-old Syndrela Das. Notably, Manika Batra, a mixed doubles bronze medallist at the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games, was controversially left out of the main squad and has been listed as a reserve alongside Swastika Ghosh.
Neha Aggarwal's Assessment of the Team
'Like you rightly said, it's a good mix of experienced and young players. On the men's side, I would now term the team quite experienced, with Harmeet Desai, Sathiyan, Manav, and Manush all part of the previous Asian Games as well. Payas is the only change, and it's great to see him there,' said Neha, who represented India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, in a conversation facilitated by Sony Sports Network.
She highlighted the group's strong team chemistry built through joint appearances at events including the World Championships and the Commonwealth Championships earlier this year. On the women's side, Neha acknowledged that the team would miss Manika but expressed confidence in the current group. 'Sreeja is one player who also performs really well under pressure. So the team will really rely on her,' she said, noting that Sreeja had recently won a WTT feeder title following a recovery from injury.
Doubles Events: The Medal Opportunity
Neha was particularly bullish about India's prospects in doubles. 'I genuinely believe they can come back with medals, especially in mixed doubles. We do have bright chances in mixed doubles and men's and women's doubles,' she said. Her confidence is grounded in historical near-misses: at Hangzhou 2023, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah lost a close men's doubles quarterfinal to South Korea from a winning position, while Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee claimed a women's doubles bronze. 'I know it still pains them because they could have been in a medal-contending position in 2023 itself,' Neha remarked.
India has won only three Asian Games medals in table tennis — all bronze. Harmeet, Sathiyan, and Manav were part of the men's team bronze at Jakarta 2018, the same edition in which Manika Batra and Sharath Kamal claimed mixed doubles bronze.
On International Exposure and Playing Conditions
Asked whether Indian paddlers had enough international experience to challenge Asia's best, Neha said the current generation was better prepared than any before it. 'Now we are fairly okay. Table tennis players are playing about 15–16 tournaments a year,' she said, adding that the squad needed quality training windows more than additional competitive exposure.
On the prospect of adapting to Japanese playing conditions — where tables from manufacturers such as DHS tend to play slower than those used in India — Neha was dismissive of concerns. She compared it to tennis players switching between clay and grass, noting that modern paddlers routinely compete across Europe, South America, and Asia and are well-accustomed to varying table surfaces, humidity, and altitude. 'It's something they just go through all the time, and they adapt, and that's the beauty of athletes and sports,' she said.
Looking Ahead
Neha closed with an unambiguous call to action: 'We really, really need to start winning at the Asian level now.' With four of the five men in the squad carrying Asian Games experience and the women's team buoyed by Sreeja's recent form and the emergence of 17-year-old Syndrela Das, India's paddlers will head to Japan with genuine medal aspirations — and the pressure of a nation expecting more than bronze.
Point of View
Yet still one bronze away from a genuinely historic return. The exclusion of Manika Batra — a proven Asian Games medallist — from the main team is the elephant in the room that Neha diplomatically sidestepped; if India misses a medal in mixed doubles specifically, the selection call will face intense scrutiny. The broader structural point is harder to dispute: with 15–16 international tournaments a year, today's Indian paddlers are better calibrated for high-pressure continental competition than the generation that preceded them. The question is whether accumulated exposure finally converts into podium finishes, or whether the continent's Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean juggernauts once again prove too steep a wall.
NationPress
17 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is table tennis being played at the 2026 Asian Games?
Table tennis at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is scheduled from 20 to 28 September 2026 at the Sky Hall Toyota in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The venue is one of the key indoor sports halls for the continental event.
Who is leading India's table tennis squad at the 2026 Asian Games?
Olympians Sreeja Akula and G Sathiyan head a 10-member Indian squad. The men's side also includes Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, and Payas Jain, while the women's team features Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee, and 17-year-old Syndrela Das.
Why was Manika Batra left out of India's main table tennis squad?
Manika Batra, a mixed doubles bronze medallist at the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games, was controversially excluded from the main squad and named as a reserve alongside Swastika Ghosh. No official reason has been stated publicly; the decision has drawn widespread attention.
How many Asian Games medals has India won in table tennis?
India has won three Asian Games medals in table tennis, all bronze. Harmeet Desai, Sathiyan, and Manav Thakkar were part of the men's team bronze at Jakarta 2018; Manika Batra and Sharath Kamal won mixed doubles bronze at the same edition; and Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee claimed women's doubles bronze at Hangzhou 2023.
Why does Neha Aggarwal Sharma believe doubles events are India's brightest medal hopes?
Neha points to strong team chemistry, international experience across formats, and near-misses in recent editions — notably Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah losing a close men's doubles quarterfinal to South Korea at Hangzhou 2023 from a winning position — as reasons to back India in mixed doubles, men's doubles, and women's doubles at Aichi-Nagoya.
