The selection of the Indian table tennis team for the Paris 2024 Olympics has raised a lot of eyebrows. No Ayhika Mukherjee and no Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (both will travel as alternate players) in the list has compelled many to term the selection unfair. Subramanyan Raman, former head coach who led the team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the subsequent World Championships, spoke to Boria Majumdar on the issue and raised some serious questions about the selection.
Boria: No Ayhika despite beating the Chinese world No. 1 two months back. How do you see this selection?
Raman: I am surprised by this. Ayhika has done very well in the recent past, and beaten top-ranked players. The Chinese world No. 1 you mentioned is the ultimate benchmark in table tennis. Such is her aura that no one beats her. She has the best all-round game, and to beat her is something. I don’t remember a single Indian beating a top-ranked Chinese until Ayhika and, now, Manika [Batra] in the Saudi Smash. Also, she has done well at the Asian Games with Sutirtha [Mukherjee] and won the only medal for India. While I have nothing against Archana [Kamath] and she is a good player, just to go by rankings is not perhaps fair. Yes, you might have your policies, but that’s when selectors need to weigh in to see what’s the best team for India. If you don’t deep dive, then there is no point. If you just go by rankings, an accountant can do the job and you don’t need selectors or experts for the task.
For the Latest Sports: Click Here
🚨EXCLUSIVE
“If you are going by the numbers, then an accountant can do the job; you don’t need a selector for that,” says former head coach of the Indian Table Tennis contingent @sramantt. He opens up about the team selection for @Paris2024.
Why no Ayhika? Why no Sathiyan? Is… pic.twitter.com/ROBGdd3nZN
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) May 17, 2024
Boria: These are very strong words, Mr Raman. And it tells me that you think this selection may have dented India’s chances.
Raman: Yes, it could well have. Just two months back, the three players who took the team to the Olympics formed the team. There was bonding. Camaraderie is built over a period of time. And clearly, they have done well to make the team qualify. So why break that combination? Let me also tell you that the difference between 100 and 130 is, in reality, nothing. It is not the top 10 or top 20 or top 50 that you are speaking about. Rankings more than 100 really don’t matter, so you need to deep dive to understand who is a better player for the Paris games. And I think Ayhika will have every reason to feel unlucky and hard done by.
Boria: If its Ayhika in the women’s team, it is Sathiyan in the men’s. He has proven pedigree. And up until the Saudi Smash, he was ranked higher than Manav [Thakkar], if I know right. For the same reason that we are questioning Ayhika’s exclusion, should we not question Sathiyan’s as well?
Raman: There is every reason to question it. Again, I have nothing against Manav. There is no reason to. But Manav has never beaten a top-20 player or a top-30 player. He has never won a match of real importance for India in the team event. Sathiyan has proven pedigree, and just because he did not have one good tournament, you left him out. Also, they are all – Harmeet [Desai], Manav and Sathiyan – in the 60s [rankings]. It is not as if there is a huge difference. So what’s the logic behind not picking him?
In the World Team Championships, you played Manav against Poland and he did not do well. You were forced to bring Sathiyan back for the match against Kazakhstan. He, together with Sharath [Kamal] and Harmeet, helped you to qualify. And now, he is overlooked. Look, till Sathiyan came on the scene, Sharath was all alone. He did not have support from a second player, and that was an issue. In our time, Chetan Baboor was way ahead of us and did not have the support to take on higher-ranked teams. Things changed when Sathiyan came on the scene. Now, with his exclusion, I don’t think we have given ourselves the best chance for Paris 2024.
Also Read: Dhoni vs Kohli, IPL fans surely need this adrenaline high