Asian Games 2026: From underdogs to contenders, Manush-Manav pair and a shot at history

As an underdog pair on which not many had placed their bets, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah came within one point of scripting one of Indian TT's greatest victories and surging to the podium of the Hangzhou Asian Games. They had the then world No.1 Korean pair of Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon in their grasp, grabbed a match point, until it all slipped into a heartbreaking five-game quarter-final defeat.

That so-near-yet-so-far medal feeling became the beginning of the combination's preparations for what was to come in three years.

"That's when me and Manav came together and thought we can take doubles more seriously, and make some history for India in the future," said Manush.

That shot at history is in the present, at the 2026 Asian Games.

From Hangzhou heartbreak to Aichi-Nagoya expectations

The Indian duo is ranked third in men's doubles in the WTT charts, and enters Aichi-Nagoya as the biggest medal hope for Indian TT, which kickstarts its campaign with the team events on Sunday.

Also Read: Asian Games, Day 2 Live Updates

It's not just their ranking, though. Doubles has been India's go-to event for rare success at the Asian Games, where the level is high.

The common factor from 2018 (Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra in mixed) to 2023 (Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee in women's) was a doubles medal. The Mukherjees pulled a rabbit out of the hat in Hangzhou. The bespectacled boys too came close to doing so but this time, things are different.

Far from flying under the radar then, Manav, 26, and Manush, 25, are an established doubles pair now. Far from being unseeded then, they are the second seeds now (behind China's Lin Shidong and Huang Youzheng). Far from having nothing to lose then, they carry the weight of being medal contenders now.

"This time, we are one of the favourites," said Manush.

"Three years ago, we were underdogs who were just enjoying the experience," said Manav. "This Asian Games, we have expectations from ourselves. Of course, there's a little pressure. But we're looking at it as an opportunity, that we have come a long way from the last 2-3 years."

From starting out in doubles simply because they shared rooms, the same language and city, the Surat duo has steadily grown over the last few years. In terms of rankings – they were briefly world No. 2 this year – stature and their games.

"I'm counter-attacking, he is aggressive. He has good power, I have control," said Manav. "We started working on our weak areas over the last few years and complementing each other better."

"We're also more mature now," added Manush. "Everyone has seen us at the world stage now. So they will be more prepared against us."

Now comes the biggest test of their growth

The draw isn't easy. After a first-round bye, the left-right Indian combo faces a scratch Japanese pairing of Tomokazu Harimoto, the world No. 4 in singles, and southpaw Hiroto Shinozuka. A tricky Chinese Taipei pair potentially awaits next.

Health issues and a freak injury to Manav during the New Delhi Commonwealth Championships have meant the two haven't trained and played together as much as they would have liked leading into the continental challenge.

But they will have to put all of that behind them to lead the pack from the front. It's something foreign coach Massimo Costantini felt had been missing in the men's group after Sharath Kamal's retirement.

"After Sharath bhaiya left, we both wanted to do well in events like the World and Asian Championships. But we couldn't convert some matches," said Manav. "We are doing everything well, and have experience now. We feel that one break, one result... somebody needs to step up. So hopefully, starting with the Asian Games, me and Manush can do that."

If they are able to, it could be a gamechanger for the doubles game in India, which hasn't exactly taken off but remains the most realistic medal chance in major events (Manush and Diya Chitale are also world No. 8 in mixed doubles).

"The way people look at doubles is quite different, and we want to change that," said Manush. "India have always done well in doubles. But the best of doubles is yet to come in India."

If the best of the Manav-Manush pair unfolds at Aichi-Nagoya, it would give them the big-stage breakthrough they are desperately after. Manush is in his second Asian Games while Manav, in his third, was part of the 2018 bronze medal-winning men's team but did not play a match.

"For me, a medal would mean a lot," said Manav. "In 2018, I didn't even understand what happened and why it was so big then. Now I know the value of an Asian medal. If I win a medal here, I know that I would have earned it. Not getting a medal would be disappointing, because it's something we want to achieve so badly."

"It's best if we think that I want to win it for him," said Manush, "and he wants to win it for me."