Indian Women's Table Tennis Team defeats Spain 3-2
By: WE Staff | Wednesday, 21 February 2024
India's women's table tennis team triumphed against Spain in the World Team Table Tennis Championships 2024, overcoming a 0-2 deficit to secure a 3-2 victory and qualifying for the knockouts of round 32. Initially, Spain was considered an easier opponent but later turned out to be exceptionally powerful. India's finest paddlers, Manika Batra, and Sreeja Akula, both faced difficult opponents in Sofia-Xuan Zhang and Maria Xiao. However, Ayhika Mukherjee came out on top, defeating Elvira Red in five matches, which was crucial.
With her persistent gameplay, Ayhika Mukherjee gave India a much-needed lifeline. Manika Batra demonstrated her abilities in the fourth rubber, winning all three games (11-9, 11-2, 11-4) against Maria. Sophia competed against Sreeja Akula in the fifth and final match. Sophia's arm pain forced a medical timeout, and Sreeja still won easily (11-6, 11-13, 11-6, 11-3). India defeated China to finish second in their group. India, who were seeded 30th, surprised everyone and proved their worth.