Two Indian paddlers, one rare TT medal, a ‘half miracle’

Mumbai: Diya Chitale sensed a different body language in her, Manush Shah and them as a doubles combination on Friday morning that gave her a bit of an inkling. They were playing Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem, the world No.4 pair whom they had lost to twice previously.

“We were really aggressive today,” Diya told HT. “We were shouting after each point. We knew what this match meant for us.” They were also shouting after the match. For they knew what it meant. Diya and Manush delivered only the fourth table tennis medal in India’s Asian Games history at Aichi-Nagoya, a mixed doubles bronze.

The eight-ranked Indian duo upset Ting and Kem, the world No.4 multiple-time World Championships medallists, 3-1 (11-6, 13-15, 11-9, 11-5) in the quarter-final to confirm the medal. They then lost to Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, China’s mighty singles world No.1 and No.2 collectively ranked second in mixed doubles, 4-0 (8-11, 5-11, 8-11, 2-11) in the semi-final.

TT medals are at a premium for the country at the nearly Olympic-standard Asian Games. Indians got going only in 2018 with the men’s team, before two doubles medals followed (mixed in 2018 and women’s in 2023). Diya, 23, and Manush, 25, are in rare company. “It’s a little bit unbelievable at the moment,” Manush told HT.

Diya was also at a loss for words. Well, not completely. “We really wanted this,” she said.

Massimo Costantini, India’s foreign TT coach, termed it a “half miracle”. Not just because of what happened over the past few days in the Games, but also over the past few weeks and months leading up to it. The Italian, who was in the role during the 2018 Asiad and for another term from 2024-2026, sat at home between May and August waiting for his contract renewal. He was asked to dash for an event in August, go back home again after the Table Tennis Federation of India’s suspension, and rejoin days before the continental challenge. Far from having national camps and planned preparations, the build-up was chaotic. “I’m not saying I’m most essential, but the circumstances, without blaming anyone, put the players under pressure,” Costantini said. “They struggled a lot for many things.”

Diya and Manush took matters in their own hands. The Surat-based Manush came to Mumbai, where Diya resides, for a training block together. The world No.8 pair had things to work on after a few early exits in WTT events.

“That fuelled the fire in us for the Asian Games,” said Manush. “We worked a lot on our timing of shots. And the timing of this medal couldn’t be better.”

Pairing up in 2023 when other more experienced Indian players had partners locked, Diya and Manush knew this young alliance could achieve something. And they did — winning the 2025 WTT Contender Tunis title, qualifying for the WTT Finals as the first Indian pair that same year, and rising to the top 10 in mixed doubles.

But rankings don’t always portray the real story in TT (India had examples of that in the recent past). And this young duo realised they needed a big-stage stamp to validate their steady ascent. “The Asian Games was one of our biggest targets,” said Diya. “We had been doing well for the past few years, and knew we had a chance.”

In both their previous tight 2-3 defeats to the Hong Kong pair, the Indians had lost the first two games before clawing back. They studied videos of those matches on Thursday, and hit the table on Friday more determined to start well and set the tone. They did just that, grabbing the first game, leading in the second, squandering it, yet keeping calm without losing hope.

“It was one of the best performances of understanding, chemistry and will to win that I’ve seen,” Costantini said. “They wanted it so badly. Because you can win WTT titles, make the top eight in rankings, but if you continue to fall behind in such events, your confidence goes into a limited shell. Now they can go all out.”

That assumes more importance given that doubles, and mixed as a category, is taking centre stage in global TT. The first-ever ITTF Doubles Cup will be held in 2027, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will feature a new mixed team event to go with the three doubles.

The qualification path is complex, and Manush and Diya will have much work to do. This Asian high, though, has given them the belief that they are up there, with room to push higher. “What we’ve done, it’s not very common in Indian TT,” said Diya. “But I think this is just the stepping stone for us.”

“This is a great motivation for us,” added Manush. “And also for Indian TT. If we have an Asian medal, it gives us a lot of belief to work towards bigger things.”