The Indian women’s team displayed remarkable resilience at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan but ultimately succumbed to top-seeded China with a 2-3 scoreline in their first group match on Friday.
The Indian paddlers, Ayhika Mukherjee and Sreeja Akula, delivered standout performances by stunning the world’s top two players, Sun Yingsha and Wang Yidi. Ayhika, ranked 155, set the tone for India with a remarkable 12-10, 2-11, 13-11, 11-6 victory against the world number one Yingsha, giving the team an early 1-0 lead.
Sreeja Akula, a Commonwealth Games medallist, continued India’s impressive run by securing a dominant 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 13-11) win over Wang Yidi. However, India’s top-ranked player, Manika Batra, faced a challenging outing, losing both her matches to world number four Wang Manyu (3-11, 8-11, 15-13, 7-11) and Sun Yingsha (3-11, 6-11, 13-11, 9-11).
With the overall score tied at 2-2, the decisive fifth match witnessed Ayhika Mukherjee, despite her earlier heroics, unable to replicate her opening success. She went down in straight games to Wang Manyu with a score of 9-11, 11-13, 6-11. Despite the final outcome, the Indian team’s spirited performance against the defending champions showcased their competitive prowess on the global stage.
