- NET Web Desk
On Wednesday, September 15, the TT star Manika Batra left out of the India squad for the Asian Championships starting September 28 in Doha after she didn’t attend the necessary nationwide camp in Sonepat.
Due to the absence of 57th ranked Batra, 97th-ranked Sutirtha Mukherjee will now lead the women’s team.
The other members include – Ayhika Mukherjee (ranked 131) and Archana Kamath (132).
Veteran Sharath Kamal (ranked 33) will spearhead the men’s challenge in the company of G Sathiyan (38), Harmeet Desai (72), Manav Thakkar (134) and Sanil Shetty (247).
Manika Batra’s rebellious turn against the national body of table tennis, Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has proved costly for the ace paddler.
The table tennis star has been in news since the Tokyo Olympics 2020 organized this year.
Recently, Batra declared that she will not train under the national coach and instead require her personal coach by her side.
Meanwhile, the ace paddler also decided not to attend the National Camp & instead decided to train on her own. This decision has led to creation of a rift between the table tennis body and Batra.
It is pertinent to mention here that TTFI had already made it clear that any player not attending the camp will not be considered for selection.
