Manush-Diya targeting Asian Games success

Of the three Asian Games medals ever secured by Indian paddlers, two have a doubles stamp on it.

- Rutvick Mehta

Doubles remains Indian table tennis’ best bet to leave a mark at bigger events.Going into this year's Asian Games, younger contenders have emerged to follow the path set by Sharath Kamal-Manika Batra (2018) and Sutirtha Mukherjee-Ayhika Mukherjee (2023).

Among them at the top is the mixed doubles combination of Manush Shah and Diya Chitale, a young pairing that has taken solid strides over the past year to rise to world No. 6 in the WTT rankings.

World rankings in doubles can sometimes feel like an illusion, and Indian TT has seen that in the past. It has also seen big-name partnerships, including those with Olympic medal-chasing ambitions, fizzle out after initial promise.

Manush and Diya, who became the first Indian pair to qualify for the prestigious WTT Finals last year, believe they are every bit of where they are right now-among the top pairs in the world - and where they can be in the years to come.

"We know we have earned this place, step by step. There is a lot of belief, of also building into something bigger," said Manush, 25.

"We still have a lot of years to develop and keep improving," said Diya, 23. "We were lucky that we started early, and that it clicked for us in the first few years."