Dominance and drama shared centre stage at the Abhay Prashal Stadium as the team events at the 87th UTT Senior National Table Tennis Championships concluded on a compelling note. While the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) men reinforced their long-standing supremacy with a clinical title win, the women’s final delivered a thrilling five-match contest, with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) emerging as champions after a stirring comeback, wresting the trophy after two years.
The PSPB’s men added yet another trophy to their already swelling cupboard, outclassing West Bengal 3-0 in a commanding display. The tie, however, began with a competitive edge as Payas Jain overcame Ankur Bhattacharjee in four games. Payas edged a tense opener 12-10 and took control with an 11-4 second game, before Ankur bounced back strongly to claim the third11-1. Just as momentum seemed to shift, Payas steadied himself under pressure, closing out the fourth 11-9 to hand PSPB the early lead.
From there, PSPB paddlers tightened their grip. Manav Thakkar, India’s top-ranked paddler in the world (No. 34), showcased his class against Aniket Sen Choudhury. After surviving a closely fought first game15-13, Manav imposed himself with authority, racing through the next two games11-5, 11-5. His aggressive backhand returns and controlled rallies left little room for resistance, putting PSPB firmly on the brink.
The third rubber provided the final flourish, though not without resistance. Harmeet Desai looked in complete control early, cruising through the first two games 11-4, 11-2 against Bodhisatwa Chaudhury. He even held a commanding 9-3 lead in the third, but the Bengal paddler staged aspirited fightback, taking that game 11-9 and following it up with an 11-6 win to force a decider. Harmeet, however, drew on his experience in the fifth, holding his nerve in crucial rallies to seal it 11-8 and complete a comprehensive 3-0 triumph for PSPB.
In contrast, the women’s final was a rollercoaster that went down to the wire. RBI edged PSPB 3-2 in a contest defined by momentum swings and clutch performances.
The RBI made a strong start through Taneesha Kotecha, who overcame Sreeja Akula in a five-game battle. Taneesha edged the first two games12-10, 12-10 before Sreeja fought back to level the match by taking the nexttwo 11-7, 15-13. In the decider, however, Taneesha regained control, sealing it 11-4 to give RBI the lead. That advantage doubled when Yashaswini Ghorpade produced a dominant straight-games win over Ayhika Mukherjee, putting RBI firmly in command at 2-0.
The PSPB responded with resilience. Diya Chitale kept them alive with a fighting four-game win over Syndrela Das, recovering from a narrow12-14 first-game loss to take the next three, including third and fourth deuce games. Ayhika then brought PSPB level with a commanding straight-games victory over Taneesha, setting up a decisive fifth rubber.
In the final match, Sreeja Akula rose to the occasion against Yashaswini. In a tense, high-quality contest, she prevailed 3-2,holding her composure in the decider to seal the title for RBI.
The contrasting finals encapsulated the essence of the championships—PSPB’s unwavering dominance in the men’s section and RBI’s grit under pressure in the women’s event—bringing the curtain down on a memorable edition in Indore.
The focus now shifts to the singles and doubles titles.
Results (Team):
Men: Final: PSPB bt West Bengal 3-0 (Payas Jain bt Ankur Bhattacharjee 12-10, 11-4, 1-11, 11-9; Manav Thakkar bt Aniket Sen Choudhury15-13, 11-5, 11-5; Harmeet Desai bt Bodhisatwa Chaudhury 11-4, 11-2, 9-11,6-11, 11-8).
Top-10 Positions: PSPB, West Bengal, Telangana, RSPB, TamilNadu, Karnataka, Assam, Delhi, Gujarat, and Punjab.
Women: Final: RBI bt PSPB 3-2 (Sreeja Akula lost to Taneesha Kotecha 12-10, 12-10, 7-11, 13-15, 4-11; Ayhika Mukherjee lost to Yashswini Ghjorpade 7-11, 5-11, 8-11, Diya Chitale bt Syndrela Das 12-14, 12-10, 11-7,14-12, Ayhika bt Taneesha 11-7, 11-4, 11-5; Sreeja bt Yashaswini 11-5, 4-11,11-9, 12-14, 11-6).
Top-10 Positions: RBI, PSPB, UP, Karnataka, Delhi,Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Haryana.
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