Manav-Manush lead India’s medal hopes at the Asian Games 2026
India’s 10-member table tennis squad blends youth and experience
India begin their Asian Games 2026 campaign on September 20 with the team events
India will begin its table tennis campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on September 20 with a 10-member squad combining established internationals with a new generation of players looking to make their mark on the continental stage.
The Indian contingent features five men and five women, with the men's doubles combination of Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar among the biggest talking points heading into the competition.
The pair are currently ranked No. 3 in the world and have emerged as one of India's leading combinations on the international circuit.
India's table tennis medal tally at the Asian Games currently stands at three, all bronze. The country won two medals at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games before Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee added another bronze in women's doubles at Hangzhou 2023.
The 2026 squad will attempt to build on that record, with team events providing India's first opportunity to make an impact in Aichi-Nagoya.
Manush-Manav combination at the centre of India's campaign
Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah will compete in men's singles, men's doubles and the men's team event.
Their men's doubles partnership has been one of the most significant developments in Indian table tennis in recent seasons. The pair have established themselves among the world's leading doubles teams, and their No. 3 ranking gives India a strong combination heading into the Asian Games.
Manav, who is appearing at his third Asian Games, said the team had travelled to Japan early to acclimatise to the conditions and familiarise itself with the equipment.
"This is my third Asian Games, and the preparations have been really good. The whole team has been playing very well in the past one month. Yes, we are going a little early to get used to the weather over there. Our event starts from 20, so hopefully we try to do our best and try to take the medal home," Manav told PTI.
Manush, meanwhile, said the expectations surrounding the pair would not change their approach to the tournament.
"Yeah, I mean expectations are high from me and Manav. We are one of the best in the world right now. We will try to play our best, of course. The main focus will be to take it step by step, match by match," Manush told PTI.
"And we do want to have a bigger expectation, at least from ourselves, because of course we want to match the level that we have been playing since the past one year," he added.
Manush will also compete in mixed doubles with Diya Chitale, while Manav's Asian Games programme includes men's singles alongside the doubles and team events.
Sathiyan, Harmeet bring Asian Games experience
G Sathiyan Gnanasekaran is the most experienced member of the men's squad. He was part of India's men's team that won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games and returns for another continental campaign alongside Harmeet Desai.
Harmeet was also part of the bronze-winning 2018 team and will feature in men's doubles, mixed doubles and the men's team event.
Payas Jain completes the men's five-member squad. Jain will compete in the men's team event and mixed doubles.
The men's team will begin its Group F campaign against Indonesia on September 20 before facing Iran later in the day.
Sreeja leads women's team as Syndrela makes Asian Games debut
The women's squad brings together international experience and younger players.
Sreeja Akula heads the group and will compete in women's singles, women's doubles and the women's team event. She brings major-event experience after representing India at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she reached the singles Round of 16.
Yashaswini Ghorpade has also enjoyed a strong run of form and will compete in women's singles, women's team and mixed doubles.
Diya Chitale will feature in women's doubles, mixed doubles and the women's team event. She will partner Manush Shah in mixed doubles.
Syndrela Das, 17, is one of the youngest players in the Indian contingent and will make her Asian Games debut. She is listed for women's doubles and the women's team event.
Sutirtha Mukherjee, meanwhile, will be part of the women's team. She is already an Asian Games medallist, having won women's doubles bronze alongside Ayhika Mukherjee at Hangzhou 2023.
The women's team will also open its Group F campaign against Indonesia before taking on Singapore on September 20.
India's recent Commonwealth success
India arrive in Japan after winning both team titles at the 2026 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships.
The men's team defeated Malaysia in the final, while the women's side also secured the gold medal. The tournament provided further competitive exposure to several members of India's Asian Games squad.
Yashaswini won the women's singles title, while Sreeja Akula and Syndrela Das teamed up to win the women's doubles crown. Manush Shah was also among the standout performers at the championships.
The Asian Games, however, present a different level of challenge, with some of the strongest table tennis nations in the world competing in the continental event.
Manika Batra among reserves
Manika Batra is not part of India's main 10-member table tennis squad for the Asian Games. She has instead been named among the women's reserves alongside Swastika Ghosh.
The TTFI selection policy gives 50 per cent weightage to national rankings, 40 per cent to world rankings and 10 per cent to the selection committee's discretion.
Batra's absence from domestic competitions affected her national ranking, which was a factor in the selection process. Batra subsequently questioned her omission and sought greater clarity on the selection criteria.
The men's reserves are Ankur Bhattacharjee and Ronit Bhanja.
India's table tennis medal record at Asian Games
India have won three table tennis medals at the Asian Games so far.
At Jakarta-Palembang 2018, the men's team comprising Anthony Amalraj, Harmeet Desai, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Sharath Kamal and Manav Thakkar won bronze. Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra also secured bronze in mixed doubles.
At Hangzhou 2023, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee won bronze in women's doubles.
The 2026 campaign will begin with the men's and women's team events before the individual and doubles competitions take centre stage later in the Games.
India table tennis squad for Asian Games 2026
Men
Manush Shah — men's singles, men's doubles, men's team
Manav Thakkar — men's singles, men's doubles, men's team
Harmeet Desai — men's doubles, mixed doubles, men's team
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran — men's doubles, men's team
Payas Jain — mixed doubles, men's team
Women
Sreeja Akula — women's singles, women's doubles, women's team
Diya Chitale — women's doubles, mixed doubles, women's team
Syndrela Das — women's doubles, women's team
Yashaswini Ghorpade — women's singles, mixed doubles, women's team
Sutirtha Mukherjee — women's team
The event-wise entries are based on the latest published Indian contingent listings.
Reserves
Men: Ankur Bhattacharjee, Ronit Bhanja
Women: Swastika Ghosh, Manika Batra
India’s table tennis schedule at Asian Games 2026
Venue: Sky Hall Toyota
September 20
Men’s team group stage — India: Harmeet Desai, G Sathiyan, Payas Jain, Manush Shah, Manav Thakkar
Women’s team group stage — India: Sreeja Akula, Diya Chitale, Syndrela Das, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Sutirtha Mukherjee
September 21
3:00pm onwards: Women’s doubles Round of 64 — Sreeja Akula/Syndrela Das, Diya Chitale/Yashaswini Ghorpade
September 22
6:30am onwards: Women’s team Round of 16
9:00am onwards: Men’s team Round of 16
11:40am onwards: Mixed doubles Round of 64 — Manush Shah/Diya Chitale, Harmeet Desai/Yashaswini Ghorpade
3:50pm onwards: Men’s and women’s team quarter-finals
September 23
6:30am onwards: Mixed doubles Round of 32
7:55am onwards: Men’s doubles Round of 64 — Manush Shah/Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai/G Sathiyan
8:35am onwards: Women’s singles Round of 64 — Sreeja Akula, Yashaswini Ghorpade
10:15am onwards: Mixed doubles Round of 16
1:30pm onwards: Men’s and women’s team semi-finals
September 24
6:30am onwards: Women’s doubles Round of 32
7:50am onwards: Men’s singles Round of 64 — Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah
1:30pm onwards: Men’s team final
4:00pm onwards: Women’s team final
September 25
6:30am onwards: Mixed doubles quarter-finals
7:30am onwards: Men’s doubles Round of 32
9:00am onwards: Women’s singles Round of 32
10:30am onwards: Men’s singles Round of 32
12:00pm onwards: Women’s doubles Round of 16
1:30pm onwards: Men’s doubles Round of 16
3:00pm onwards: Mixed doubles semi-finals
September 26
6:30am onwards: Women’s singles Round of 16
12:00pm onwards: Men’s doubles quarter-finals
12:45pm onwards: Women’s singles quarter-finals
1:30pm onwards: Men’s singles quarter-finals
2:15pm onwards: Women’s doubles quarter-finals
4:00pm onwards: Mixed doubles final
September 27
8:30am onwards: Men’s doubles semi-finals
10:00am onwards: Women’s singles semi-finals
3:30pm onwards: Men’s doubles final
5:00pm onwards: Women’s singles final
September 28
8:30am onwards: Women’s doubles semi-finals
10:00am onwards: Men’s singles semi-finals
3:30pm onwards: Women’s doubles final
5:00pm onwards: Men’s singles final
