New Delhi, Sep 17 — Former India paddler Neha Aggarwal Sharma believes the country's table tennis contingent at Aichi-Nagoya has both the experience and the temperament to better its modest Asian Games record, with the doubles events offering the brightest hopes for clinching medals in the continental event.

Olympians Sreeja Akula and G Sathiyan will lead India's 10-member squad at the continental showpiece event, where table tennis matches will be held from September 20 to 28 at the Sky Hall Toyota in Aichi Prefecture. The men's squad is spearheaded by veteran Sathiyan alongside Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah and Payas Jain, with Ankur Bhattacharjee and Ronit Bhanja in reserve.

"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, Sathyan, 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.

“So that way, this team has had the experience of competing, especially these four competing together at the World Championships, the Commonwealth Championships, which was held earlier this year. So the camaraderie, their team bonding and all of that is also really good. So look forward to that," Neha said to IANS in an exclusive conversation facilitated by Sony Sports Network on Thursday.

In the women’s team, Sreeja, India's highest-ranked female paddler, heads a side that also includes Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee and 17-year-old Syndrela Das. Manika Batra, a mixed doubles bronze medallist at Jakarta 2018, was controversially excluded from the main team and has been named a reserve along with Swastika Ghosh.

"On the women's side, of course, the team will miss Manika. But, as I said, they are all going in some very good form. Sreeja is just fresh up, winning the WTT feeder title. She had some injury issues, but it was so good to see her resolve and all of that. Sreeja is one player who also performs really well under pressure. So the team will really rely on her.

“I am excited to watch Diya Chitale, Yashaswini, and Syndrela Das - only 17 years old, playing her first Asian Games, and when you watch Syndrela, you can't say that she's 17. Her maturity is really good, and her ability to handle pressure is also really nice. So I'm excited to see the team together.

“The era of Sharath is past us. These young folks have a lot on their shoulders, but 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," added Neha, who represented India in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Asked whether Indian paddlers now had enough international exposure to trouble the continent's best players, Neha said, "I think now we are fairly okay. See, the exposure has been really good. Now, table tennis players are playing about 15-16 tournaments a year. In fact, now we need really good windows for them to train and do like an off-season training camp.

“So, in terms of international exposure, the players have received really good support, and each one of them knows the opponents also really well. It's all about how well you can believe in yourself. For example, Sreeja was part of the team at the Paris Olympics. We were at the quarterfinals and lost a very close match against Germany.

“Being a part of those situations is really good, because that is what experience is all about, and to have young people in your team as well, say a Diya or a Syndrela, they add to that young energy and just go all out. So, international exposure has been great for our table tennis players, and now we just have to consistently win and just convert those matches, in my opinion," she elaborated.

India have won only three Asian Games medals in table tennis – all bronze. Harmeet, Sathiyan and Manav were part of the men's team that finished third at Jakarta 2018, the same edition in which Manika and Sharath Kamal won bronze in mixed doubles. Sutirtha won the bronze medal alongside Ayhika Mukherjee in the women's doubles at Hangzhou 2023.

Neha stated that India has a golden opportunity to improve its tally at these Asian Games. "I mean, we must aim for it for sure. Last time, we won one medal, the women's doubles by Sutirtha and Ayhika Mukherjee. Also, Manav and Manush, in the men's doubles quarterfinals, lost a very close match to South Korea.

“I believe they were leading at some point as well, and I know it still pains them because they could have been in a medal-contending position in 2023 itself. So the paddlers are really going all out with the genuine belief to win many more medals and increase our tally," she said.

On how tables and playing conditions differ from country to country, a factor of some relevance with the competition being held in Japan, Neha was dismissive of the idea that it would trouble a modern-day paddler.

"So change in table, and how the ball behaves on the table, it all depends a lot on which country you're playing – the humidity and altitude levels of that country. Say in India, the tables are generally faster. In China, Japan, and Korea, it's DHS and the tables are slightly slower. But you know what? Players are used to all of this.

“All the players are playing somewhere; they're playing in Europe, then they're playing somewhere in South America, or in Asia and India. The players are absolutely used to different table surfaces, which leads to different table behaviour, and they all learn to adapt. So it's not a big deal.

“They know the ball's going to travel slow, which means that there are more balls on the table. It just means more physical effort, longer rallies. But it's not a big deal. It's something they just go through all the time, and they adapt, and that's the beauty of athletes and sports, right? The athletes who adapt well and quickly are the ones who consistently perform out there, irrespective of the conditions, and they all train as well.

“Like you'll train on a slower and faster table as well, and even against the walls. The way balls react is also different, so everyone is used to it. It's like, say, tennis players playing on clay and grass; you can't complain, right? You know it, and you just train accordingly. That's how it is," she explained.

Neha signed off by hoping the Asian Games in Japan would end with the table tennis contingent getting more medals. "I hope so, too. I'll be the happiest. We really, really need to start winning at the Asian level now."

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