India's Table Tennis Squad Falls to China's Dominance at Paris Olympics

India's men’s table tennis team was defeated 0-3 by China in the pre-quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics, ending their campaign. The Indian duo, Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar, lost their doubles match, while veteran Sharath Kamal and Manav Thakkar fell in the singles matches against their Chinese counterparts.

Veteran paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal demonstrated his mettle, but India faced a 0-3 defeat against powerhouse China in the pre-quarterfinals, ending their men’s table tennis team event campaign at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

The Indian pair of Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar lost the opening doubles match 2-11 3-11 7-11 to China's formidable duo of Ma Long and Chuqin Wang.

Sharath Kamal took on Olympic champion Fan Zhendong in the first singles match, winning the initial game 11-9 with an exceptional performance. However, the Chinese champion rallied to win the next three games 11-7 11-7 11-5, putting India 0-2 behind.

Twenty-four-year-old Manav Thakkar then contested the second singles match but struggled against Chuqin, losing 9-11 6-11 9-11.

In contrast, the Indian women’s team, featuring Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, and Archana Kamat, achieved a remarkable victory over higher-ranked Romania 3-2 on Monday to advance to the quarterfinals.