SHILLONG, April 21: It was a day of dominance for favourites Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) as they walked away with both the men and women’s team titles on day four of the 83rd Senior National Table Tennis Championships at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Indoor Training Centre, in NEHU campus, on Thursday. PSPB defeated Maharashtra 3-0 in both category finals.
Playing against a resilient Maharashtra A unit in both finals, PSPB were put to the test but eventually overcame their opponents. Comprising the likes of Gnagnasekaran Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, Sharath Kamal (who sat on the bench for the final) and Manika Batra, the PSPB side looked unstoppable on paper.
The men’s team won their 25th title, while the women clinched their 16th title. PSPB men and women defeated Maharashtra A 3-0 in the finals.
However, the PSPB men faced stiffer competition from Maharashtra A with Sathiyan being tested time and again by Deepit R Patil.
Deepit played brilliantly in the first game, taking two games off Sathiyan. But Sathiyan came back strongly to put PSPB 1-0 up. Desai also dropped a game before shutting out an in-form Siddhesh Pandey.
Later, the young Jash Modi put Manav Thakkar under pressure straight away. Manav lost the opener on extended points before hitting a nice rhythm. The teenager then stretched him again in the fourth.
The two senior players Sharath and Sathiyan credited the two Maharashtra paddlers. “Credit to Deepit, he was brilliant and I made a few errors, too,” Sathiyan said, adding, “it looked like the Maharashtra team in the good old days.” Sharath, too, praised the two youngsters, adding, “Both are promising and possess loads of talent.”
When Archana Kamath gave a fine opening, it became apparent that PSPB women would see the return of the team trophy to their cabinet. Archna and Diya Chitale, both attacking players, never dropped their guard during their tie. But it was Archana who brought accuracy to her blocks, adding teeth to the forehand attacks. Diya, who did everything right until the semifinals, failed to comprehend a rampaging Archana who shut out the challenges her opponent posed with a 3-0 triumph.
Leading 1-0, Manika Batra faced Swastika Ghosh, who troubled Batra especially in the third game. Swastika saved three match points, but the PSPB woman won the fourth to seal another 3-0 win.
Then, 18-year-old Anannya Basak faced the experienced Reeth Rishya, Anannya was cautious in the opening game. But in the second, she did well to slow down and caught her rival on the wrong foot. With the scores level, the burden was on the PSPB woman. Upping the ante, she wrapped up quickly to win the next two games and the title.
Speaking on her team’s performance, Batra said, “Our team events are over and I think we all played our best. I’m happy with my performance and with the team too. I expect tough competition in the singles and I’ll be giving my best.”
“The competition is tough considering many of the paddlers are at the international level. But if I give my best, I know I can win,” she added.
Batra also advised Meghalaya’s players to keep working hard and giving their best. “They should train more and focus on what they want to achieve long-term,” she said.
