In two thrilling finals at the 86th Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) and Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) clinched a title apiece in showdowns between the two in men’s and women’s team events in Surat on Wednesday (January 22).
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Both summit clashes at the Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium were decided in the fifth and final ties. First, RSPB women edged PSPB 3-2, and in the men’s final, RSPB were denied a double crown as defending champions PSPB overturned a 0-2 deficit to emerge victorious 3-2.
PSPB’s 27th title
Overall, this was PSPB’s record 27th senior national men’s team title, and they had to fight hard to secure this one, with the victory sealed by local hero and Olympian Harmeet Desai in the decider against Akash Pal.
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The men’s final began on a shaky note for PSPB, as RSPB’s Akash tamed Ankur Bhattacharjee with relentless rallies and pinpoint precision, giving RSPB an early 1-0 lead. The pressure mounted when Anirban Ghosh overcame PSPB’s Harmeet in a dramatic comeback from 0-2 down to claim the next three games, pushing RSPB to a 2-0 advantage.
Trailing 0-2, it was local boy Manav Thakkar who brought PSPB back into contention with a win over Jeet Chandra in the third tie. The presence of legend Sharath Kamal in the squad seemed to have done wonders for PSPB after being 0-2 down.
After Manav’s win, Ankur put the match on level terms at 2-2 with a commanding 3-1 victory over Anirban. The result saw some tense moments where RSPB squad members argued with the umpires over a point awarded to Ankur.
Harmeet seals title in final tie
In the fifth and final tie, Harmeet stepped up with deft backhand flicks and tactical brilliance. He dismantled Akash, completing PSPB’s comeback and securing their 27th title.
This victory also marked a fitting farewell for Sharath, who likely made his final appearance for PSPB, after playing only in the group stage in Surat. The team’s triumph served as a heartfelt tribute to the veteran Olympian, underscoring their unyielding dominance and resilience under pressure.
Sutirtha shines for RSPB
In the women’s final, the fate of the Railways women revolved around Sutirtha Mukherjee’s ability to inspire her squad with her commanding presence and undeniable skill. A two-time national champion and the most seasoned player on the roster, she took charge from the outset. With ruthless precision, Sutirtha overpowered PSPB’s lead player, Yashaswini Ghorpade, leaving no room for a response and setting an early tone of dominance.
From left: PSPB women (silver medallists), RSPB (gold), and bronze medallists Gujarat (front) and Maharashtra (back) pose with their medals and trophies after the women’s team event final at the 86th Senior Table Tennis Nationals in Surat.
Later, in the deciding game of the fifth tie, Sutirtha raced to a 5-0 lead against Reeth Rishya and finished the match to hand RSPB the title.
“It was a very happy moment for me because, at Railways, everyone respected me and expected me to win. In the All India Inter-Institutional Table Tennis Championships’ team final, I lost two matches. After that, I was crying. Post that disappointment, I worked hard on my game and I am happy that I could win the national title here in Surat,” Sutirtha told The Federal after the win.
“When it was 2-2, I was under pressure in the decider. But I could perform under pressure and win. I am very happy for that,” she added.
What Harmeet said
Harmeet, after the title win, told The Federal“It feels great to retain the title. It was a very difficult match against the same team that we lost to a few months back in the inter-institution championships. We knew it was going to be a tough game for us. We were 0-2 down and Manav did very well to fight it out and bring us back into contention. This was a confident booster for all of us ahead of the singles event.”
When asked how it was to play the decider in front of his home fans, Harmeet said, “Actually I was enjoying it because there would be more pressure in the singles. I got both good matches, and I see it as a warm-up for the singles event. The fans were in good numbers here and supported me a lot. I am happy that I could pull it off. Definitely, there was a lot of pressure but after playing table tennis for so many years, I have started to deal with such situations.”
On PSPB’s domination, the Olympian said, “It is because of the support that we get from PSPB, we are able to perform so well consistently. There is no pressure of the job or any other thing. We just have to go there and give our best.”
Bronze-medal winning Gujarat women’s team with Surat Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agarwal (front, 2nd right), Vinod Agarwal, Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) President Pramod Chaudhary (front, 2nd left) and organising secretary Kushal Sangtani (front, right).
Results: Team event finals
Men: PSPB beat RSPB 3-2 (Ankur Bhattacharjee lost to Akash Pal 11-13, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9, 4-11, Harmeet Desai lost to Anirban Ghosh 11-4, 11-7, 10-12 , 9-11, 9-11, Manav Thakkar beat Jeet Chandra 16-14, 11-7, 6-11, 10-12, 11-6, Ankur beat Anirban 11-7, 11-9, 9-11,11-9, Harmeet beat Akash 11-5, 11-4, 11-9).
Bronze medallists: Delhi and Assam.
Women: RSPB beat PSPB 3-2 (Sutirtha Mukherjee beat Yashaswini Ghorpade 11-6, 11-4, 11-3, Anusha Kutumbale lost to Reeth Rishya 7-11,7-11, 8-11, Kaushani Nath beat Pritha Vartikar 9-11 , 6-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-6, Anusha lost to Yashaswini 10-12, 7-11, 8-11, Sutirtha beat Reeth Rishya 11-9, 11-7, 4-11, 4-11, 11-1).
Bronze medallists: Gujarat and Maharashtra.
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