India has a long and proud history of table tennis, but it was not until the 2018 Asian Games that the country finally won its first medals in the sport. The two medals, a bronze in the men’s team event and a bronze in the mixed doubles event were a watershed moment for Indian table tennis and showed that the country was finally starting to compete with the top teams in Asia.
India won its first Commonwealth Games medal in table tennis in 2002 when the sport was added to the CWG list. In that year, India bagged three bronze medals: one for Chetan Baboor in men’s singles, one for Baboor and Subramanyan Raman in men’s doubles, and one for the men’s team as a whole.
The 2018 Asian Games medals were a major breakthrough for Indian table tennis, and they have inspired a new generation of players. In the 2022 Asian Games, India won two more medals, a gold in the men’s team event.
The famous figure Sharath Kamal won India’s first gold medal in Table Tennis at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. The Indian men’s team earned another gold medal that year, while the women’s team took bronze.
In 2010, India had its most successful CWG campaign, winning 101 medals. They won 5 medals in table tennis. Sharath Kamal earned bronze in the men’s singles event this time, coupled with Subhajit Saha to win gold in the men’s doubles tournament, while Mouma Das and Poulomi Ghatak won bronze in the women’s doubles event.
The men’s team received a bronze medal, while the women’s team received a silver medal. At the 2018 Gold Coast Games, India achieved their best table tennis performance to date, winning eight medals. Manika Batra made history by being the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games women’s singles event.
Sharath Kamal, who won bronze in the men’s singles event, joined her. Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shetty won bronze in the men’s doubles event, Mouma Das and Batra won silver in the women’s doubles event, and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Batra won bronze in the mixed doubles event. In team events, both the men’s and women’s teams won gold medals.
In 2022, India continued its brilliance in Table Tennis to win the Silver Medal. Sharath Kamal again shined, paired with Sathiyan Gnanansekaran to bag silver in man’s double events. Whilst Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shetty cruised to bag gold in Men’s team.
The Indian table tennis team is now one of the most respected teams in Asia. They are consistently competing for medals at major events, and they are a major threat to the top teams in the world. With the continued support of the government and the Indian Table Tennis Federation, the Indian table tennis team is poised to achieve even greater things in the years to come.
These players are just a few of the many talented Indian table tennis players who have made their country proud at the Asian Games. With their continued hard work and dedication, Indian table tennis is sure to achieve even greater things in the future.
