India’s campaign at the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 came to an early end in Chengdu, China, despite an 8-6 victory over Australia in their final Group 1 match on Tuesday. A solitary win in three outings left the young Indian team at the bottom of the group, behind hosts and defending champions China, the USA, and Australia.
Only the top two teams from each group advanced to the next stage, and India’s earlier losses to the USA and China sealed their elimination. This marks the second consecutive time India has failed to progress past the group stage of the tournament.
Mixed Start Against Australia
India’s final match against Australia began on a shaky note in the opening mixed doubles rubber. Jeet Chandra and Pritha Vartikar fell 2-1 (8-11, 3-11, 11-8) to Luu Finn and Lay Jian Fang.
The struggles continued in the women’s singles as World No. 88 Yashaswini Ghorpade narrowly lost 2-1 (11-13, 12-10, 6-11) to Constantina Psihogios, ranked 123rd globally.
Trailing 4-2, India’s Snehit Suravajjula sparked a comeback with a hard-fought 2-1 (11-6, 9-11, 11-7) victory over Nicholas Lum in the men’s singles rubber.
Suravajjula then partnered with Jeet Chandra in the men’s doubles to level the tie at 6-6. The Indian pair edged past Nicholas Lum and Luu Finn 2-1 (11-8, 10-12, 11-9) in a closely contested match.
In the deciding fifth rubber, a women’s doubles contest, Pritha Vartikar and Yashaswini Ghorpade sealed India’s comeback by defeating Constantina Psihogios and Lay Jian Fang 2-0 (11-8, 11-7).
Missed Opportunities in Group Play
India’s campaign began with an 8-3 defeat to the USA on Sunday. The young squad then suffered a crushing 8-0 loss to top seeds China, effectively ending their hopes of advancing.
The tournament format, where the first team to win eight games takes the tie, highlighted India’s need for experience. With senior players like Manika Batra, Sharath Kamal, Sreeja Akula, and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran absent, India fielded a youthful lineup that showed glimpses of potential but lacked consistency.
Looking Ahead
Despite the early exit, the tournament provided valuable exposure for India’s emerging talent. Competing on a global stage like the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup will aid their development as they prepare for future challenges.
China and the USA, the dominant forces in the group, now advance to the knockout stages, while India will look to regroup for upcoming international events.
