Surat, August 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Arjuna Awardee and Indian table tennis star Harmeet Desai believes India’s men’s team has the right combination of experience and youth to challenge the continent’s best sides at the upcoming Asian Games and is confident of winning a medal.
The Indian men’s squad features Harmeet, Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, G. Sathiyan and Payas Jain. Desai described the team as well balanced and capable of producing strong performances against leading Asian opponents.
“In the Asian Games, I, Manav Thakkar, Manush Ji, Sathyan and Payas Jain are in the men’s team. The team is well balanced with experience and youth. We are a very strong team,” Harmeet told IANS.
He pointed to India’s previous victories over top-ranked teams as evidence of the squad’s potential and stressed the importance of performing collectively when facing strong opposition.
“We have performed well in the Asian Games when we have beaten top teams. We will try to perform well against strong teams in the Asian Games as a team. On a given day, when our form is good, we have beaten good teams. We will try to win a medal this time as well,” he said.
Harmeet also believes regular competition against players from Japan, China and South Korea has made Indian paddlers better equipped to handle the pressure of major tournaments.
“We play with Japan, Chinese, Koreans on a regular basis. Whether it is a contender tournament, star contender or smash. So now we are quite used to playing against them,” he said.
The Olympian also trains extensively in Germany under Chinese coach Fu Yong, an experience he said has helped him understand and counter techniques commonly used by leading Asian players.
“We have quite gotten used to their techniques. And we have also bettered our style of play. So definitely we are well prepared for this Asian Games,” he said.
Desai attributed India’s progress to greater professionalism in the sport. Players now have access to personal coaches, sparring partners, physiotherapists, physical trainers and dietitians — support systems that were not widely available five or six years ago.
He also credited increased government funding, corporate sponsorship and regular leagues for expanding opportunities for Indian table tennis players.
India’s Asian Games table tennis campaign entered a breakthrough phase in 2018, when the men’s team won a historic bronze medal, while Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra added another bronze. At the 2022 Asian Games, Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee won a historic bronze in women’s doubles.
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