Explained: Why was Manika Batra left out of India's Table Tennis squad for Asian Games 2026?
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Manika Batra won the bronze during the 2018 Jakarta Games.
Despite the absence of former Asian Games bronze medallist Manika Batra, India have made a strong start in the women’s table tennis team event at the Aichi-Nagoya Games 2026, winning all three ties to book a place in the quarter-finals.
All three victories were impressive, but the scorecards reveal that the team missed Batra. Although she was named among the reserves, she has not featured in the main event at the continental showpiece in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The star paddler is ranked 51st in the world, behind Sreeja Akula at No. 45, and is leading Team India at the Asian Games 2026, scheduled from September 19 to October 4. Here’s why Manika has been left out of the squad.
Reason for Manika’s Omission
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According to reports, the selection was based on a set formula. National ranking carried 50% weightage, world ranking 40%, and the remaining 10% was left to the selection committee’s discretion.
While Manika is the second-highest-ranked Indian woman in the world rankings, she does not feature in the national rankings maintained by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).
The three-time Olympian has not featured in the domestic rankings since 2023. She is absent from India’s squad solely due to her limited participation in domestic competitions.
Manika has previously explained that the growing number of international tournaments, coupled with the demands of maintaining consistency in performance and fitness, has limited her ability to compete on the domestic circuit. She expressed disappointment with the selection decision through a social media post.
The Delhi-based paddler also pointed to the selection process used for the previous Asian Games, claiming that players were picked under special considerations in certain instances, with the formula being set aside in those cases.
“I also note that during the previous Asian Games selection cycle, players who were outside similar ranking thresholds in both World Ranking and National Ranking were still included in the squad under special considerations and were given special privileges.”
The two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist pointed to her strong performances against international opponents, highlighting multiple victories, as she believes she should have been considered during the selection process.
Manika also wrote to the TTFI seeking greater clarity and transparency regarding the decisions behind the squad selection.
India’s Table Tennis squad for Asian Games 2026
Men: G Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, Payas Jain.
Women: Sreeja Akula, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Syndrela Das.
Reserves: Ankur Bhattacharjee, Ronit Bhanja (men); Swastika Ghosh, Manika Batra (women).
Has Manika Batra won any Asian Games medal?
Yes, she won the bronze in Jakarta 2018.
What was Manika Batra’s last competitive medal win?
She last won a bronze during the 2024 Asian Championships in Astana at the women’s team event.
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