Indian TT contingent reaches Birmingham with history after a rich run of eight medals in the last edition Ghana, All eyes will be on the poster girl again Manika Batra When India begins action in the first two rounds of team events at the National Exhibition Center solihull,
Batra had almost single-handedly brought the sport into limelight last time by winning the country’s first gold medal in the women’s singles event. She also won a gold medal in the women’s team event, as well as a silver medal in the women’s doubles. It stamped its authority in 2018 by ending Singapore’s dominance.
She remains the only face from the Gold Coast as India fielded a completely revamped women’s team after much drama over the selection process.
Batra, this time India’s highest rated female player, made in the world’s top 50, will have to guide Reeth RishiSreeja Akula and Diya Chitale To see India finish on the podium. However, the youth, including the current national champion Chitale, have shown a lot.
In contrast, the Indian male side is a veteran lot led by the old warrior Sharath Kamal. The 40-year-old player participating in his fifth Commonwealth Games will be in the company of sathiyan gyanasekaran, Harmeet Desai And Sanil ShettyThose who have good experience of competing at the highest level.
The men’s side can be expected to perform better this time. In mixed doubles events, the Sathiyan-Batra pair continues to be the favorites to win gold even after missing out in 2018. Sathiyan, who made his Commonwealth Games debut in Gold Coast, looks to be a more mature player with Olympic and Asian Games experience.
This time Batra will pair with Cheetale in the women’s doubles match.