Top five highest-ranked table tennis players from India

Sreeja Akula is India’s highest-ranked singles table tennis player.

For several decades and even today, China continues to dominate table tennis. However, India has seen rapid progress in the sport, with new heroes emerging, thereby motivating a new generation of young kids to pick up the paddle and play the sport.

Here we take a look at five such athletes who have dominated on the international stage and brought glory to their motherland.

5. Manav Thakkar – 47

Manav Thakkar has already held the World No. 1 position in both Under-18 and Under-21 categories—a rare feat for any player. Manav represented India at the 2018 Youth Olympics at age 18 and recently competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics, facing the world’s elite.

Thakkar’s historic run at the WTT Star Contender event in Chennai made him the first Indian male to reach a WTT Star Contender semifinal, resulting in his ITTF World Rankings Top 50 debut.

4. Sharath Kamal – 30

A table tennis veteran, Achanta Sharath Kamal has been the sport’s standard-bearer for over two decades. Peaking at a career-high world ranking of 30 in men’s singles, Sharath’s longevity and consistency are legendary. Sharath is an eight-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and the only Indian male to win multiple singles titles at the event.

His crowning achievement came at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he secured gold medals in the singles, doubles, and team events. Sharath’s illustrious career is also defined by his leadership, having captained the Indian team at multiple Olympic and Asian Games.

As a tribute to his contribution to the game, Kamal was chosen as India’s flagbearer alongside PV Sindhu at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

3. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran – 24

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, who once reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 24 in 2019, the highest ever for an Indian male paddler, has consistently broken new ground in Indian table tennis. He became the first Indian to win an ITTF World Tour title at the 2017 Spanish Open and has played a pivotal role in India’s medal-winning performances at both the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

Sathiyan also made history as the first Indian to sign with Okayama Rivets in Japan’s T-League and is currently competing for Jura Morez in France’s PRO-A League.

2. Manika Batra – 24

Manika Batra is a trailblazer whose impact on Indian table tennis extends beyond her rankings. She became the first Indian woman to break into the world’s top 25 in singles, achieving a career-best ranking of 24 after her quarterfinal run at the Saudi Smash 2024 in Jeddah.

Manika was just 16 when she made her international debut, and her journey has been marked by a string of firsts, including a historic gold in women’s singles at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a bronze in mixed doubles at the Asian Games. She was also the first Indian to reach the quarterfinals of a WTT Grand Smash event.

1. Sreeja Akula – 21

Sreeja Akula’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric. In 2024, she etched her name in history by becoming the highest-ever ranked Indian singles player, reaching World No. 21 in women’s singles at age 26. This achievement came on the heels of her stellar run at the Paris Olympics, where she reached the round of 16, matching the deepest run by any Indian in Olympic singles.

Earlier that year, Sreeja clinched the WTT Contender title in Lagos and added victories at WTT Feeder events in Corpus Christi and Beirut, consistently pushing her ranking higher. Her Olympic journey included a memorable win over Singapore’s Zeng Jian, and she continues to be a beacon for Indian table tennis.

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