\"The senior selection committee of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), which met here on Thursday, picked a six-member squad (three in each section) as per the Olympics norms, besides naming the individuals who would compete in the singles events,\" the TTFI said in a statement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Achanta Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar will form the three-member men\u2019s team, while Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath will be squad members in the women\u2019s category. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
The \u201cAlternate Player\u201d in each section would be G. Sathiyan and Ayhika Mukherjee, it said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In the men's singles, Sharath and Harmeet will compete and it will be Manika and Sreeja in the women's event.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Since the selection of the squads and the individuals were as per the already pronounced TTFI criteria, three players \"got selected themselves\" because of their consistent performances over time and world rankings. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"However, there was a debate over the third player for the women's squad. After Manika and Sreeja Akula walked in on the back of their higher world rankings (top 50), Archana Kamath made it to the team as the third player. The Bengaluru paddler edged Ayhika Mukherjee out as the former scored over the latter on several counts, including her world ranking (No.103), 33 places ahead of Ayhika. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"As for the men, Sharath picked himself as the top-ranked Indian at No. 40, while Hareemt (No. 63) and Manav (No. 62) were separated by one slot in WR. Though both made it to the team composition, National champion Harmeet got the selectors' nod based on his international (better win-loss proportion to his participation) and national performances,\u201d the statement further read.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Incidentally, Massimo Costantini\u2019s presence as a special invitee at the meeting also added teeth as the foreign expert\u2019s inputs proved handy in the selection of the squads, it added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Teams:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Men: A. Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Alternate Player: G. Sathiyan<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Women: Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, and Archana Kamath<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Alternate Player: Ayhika Mukherjee<\/p>\r\n\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2024\/05\/manika-sharath-to-lead-indias-six-member-tt-squad-at-paris-olympics.jpeg", "alt_img": "Manika, Sharath to lead India's six-member TT squad at Paris Olympics", "alt_title": "Manika Batra riding on career-best world ranking to elevate Paris 2024 performance", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "Manika, Sharath To Lead India's Six-member TT Squad At Paris Olympics On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Manika, Sharath To Lead India's Six-member TT Squad At Paris Olympics, Table Tennis Federation: Ace women's table tennis star Manika Batra and Commonwealth Games medallist Sharath Kamal will spearhead the team.", "seo_keywords": "Paris Olympics, New Delhi, Manika Batra, Commonwealth Games, Sharath Kamal, Table Tennis Federation, Achanta Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Sreeja Akula, Archana Kamath, Alternate Player, Ayhika Mukherjee, After Manika, The Bengaluru", "tag": "", "tagging": "Paris Olympics, New Delhi, Manika Batra, Commonwealth Games, Sharath Kamal, Table Tennis Federation, Achanta Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Sreeja Akula, Archana Kamath, Alternate Player, Ayhika Mukherjee, After Manika, The Bengaluru", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "manika-sharath-to-lead-indias-six-member-tt-squad-at-paris-olympics", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "832", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "0", "created": "2024-05-16 20:38:03", "updated": "2024-05-16 20:38:03", "img_from": "Image Source: IANS", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "Paris Olympics, New Delhi, Manika Batra, Commonwealth Games, Sharath Kamal, Table Tennis Federation, Achanta Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Sreeja Akula, Archana Kamath, Alternate Player, Ayhika Mukherjee, After Manika, The Bengaluru", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "1", "google_feed": "1", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "23", "jio_date": "2024-05-16 20:38:03", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "0", "breaking_news": "0", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "sports_name": "others", "cnmid": "904463", "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/sports-news\/manika-sharath-to-lead-indias-six-member-tt-squad-at-paris-olympics-15210" }