Mumbai: Manika Batra has signalled her intention not to pursue the matter of her Asian Games non-selection further, while also accusing the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) of violating its constitution.
In her latest social media statement on Friday, India’s star paddler, who had sought a response from the TTFI over her exclusion from the five-member women’s squad for the continental Games, confirmed receiving it. She pointed out that the selection committee comprised nine members, “while Article 24(C)(j) of the TTFI Constitution states that no Sub-Committee can have more than 7 members,” she wrote in the statement.
Other than that, Manika, who had threatened legal action in an earlier statement, said she is, for now, “putting my sword down”.
“A nine-member committee decided my fate, yet I am being told that the process was fully compliant with the Constitution and the rules,” she said, adding that she was “mentally exhausted”.
From that nine-member panel voted for the selected squad of Sreeja Akula, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Syndrela Das, Diya Chitale and Sutirtha Mukherjee, with Manika, despite being the India No.2 in the international rankings, in the reserves.
TTFI has maintained that the squad was selected according to the criteria laid out in 2023, through a combined weightage of international and national rankings. While it can be debated if the selection system needs a relook for the future, Manika did not meet the benchmarks laid out in the present criteria.
With the former top-25 player having stayed away from any domestic competition during that period, including the nationals, she was not ranked domestically. And with her slipping out of the top 50 of the WTT charts – she is currently ranked 51st – the automatic qualification route was also closed for her. Sreeja, despite being ranked 27th domestically, made the cut due to her world ranking (45th).
Barring injuries or last-minute changes, Manika, the 2018 Asian Games mixed doubles bronze medallist, will not be at the Aichi-Nagoya Games in September-October. She is currently in Los Angeles for the United States Smash.
“To the selected team, I wish you nothing but success,” she said.
HPD appointment still in process: TTFI
Meanwhile, TTFI secretary general Kamlesh Mehta said that the process to appoint a high-performance director is still ongoing. TTFI had invited applications for the post of high-performance director and foreign coach in April and May.
Massimo Costantini, whose two-year contract as Indian TT’s foreign coach ran out in May, is awaiting a word on his return. Currently in Italy, the 68-year-old hoped that the process was done quickly, “so that I can get back to the job”, as he told HT last month, ahead of the Asian Games.
“The process to appoint a high-performance director is still ongoing, and it will take a little time,” said Mehta.
Mehta added that the recruitment of a foreign coach will happen after the HPD is appointed, so that he can be consulted to form a team of coaches.
