Asian Games 2018, Table Tennis: Manika-Sharath duo earn a Bronze for India

August 29,2018. Until yesterday India had no medal in Mixed Doubles event in Asian Games. Alike Indian Men's Team, the duo caused a stir by making their mark at the Asian Games 2018, Jakarta. It is the first time ever in history that India won a medal in the Mixed doubles event at the Asian Games.

The duo, Achanta Sharath Kamal WR 33 and Manika Batra WR 57 elevated the celebration of Indian Table Tennis by adding to its glory at the Asian Games 2018, Jakarta.

In pre Quarter Final the Indian duo faced strong pairing of Lee Sangsu and Jeon Jihee (South Korea) but the Indians won them 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-4.

Next up in Quarter Finals the Indian duo defeated Cha Hyo Sim and An Ji Song (North Korea) and pulled off an 11-4, 10-12, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8 victory and a place in Semi-Finals assuring another medal for India.

In the semifinals, the duo faced a defeat (4-1) 9-11, 5-11, 13-11, 4-11, 8-11. China's Yingsha Sun and Wang Sun swept the pair with a dominating performance. Defeating China may still be a far-sighted dream but winning medals at Asian Games is now a dream achieved by the current slot of the Indian team.

Social media soon was stormed soon after the win. Medals at Asian Games are truly helping the Indian players gain more popularity in India and in the globe. And undoubtedly foreign players now look forward to the Indian players. From victories at the CWGs to the exceptionally well performance at the world championships to winning medals at the Asian Games marks the new era of the Indian Table Tennis.

Manika Batra posted on Facebook:

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Minister of State (IC) Youth Affairs and Sports, Minister Of State (Information & Broadcasting), Member of Parliament-Jaipur(R), AVSM, Olympic Silver Medalist, Padma Shri, Khel Ratna, Arjuna Awardee, Military Veteran and Policy Maker, Khelo India posted congratulating the pair for the historic win.

A huge round of applause for our TT team of @manikabatra_TT & @sharathkamal1 for winning 🥉in mixed doubles TT at #ASIANGAMES2018. Special Congratulations to Manika for becoming the 1st Female Asiad Medallist from India in TT ✌🏻👏🎉 #KheloIndia #IndiaAtAsianGames pic.twitter.com/wjVpDv92qD

— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) August 29, 2018

Achanta Sharath Kamal posted few snapshots of the match captioned with a Thank you note to Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.

Thank you @Ra_THORe sir for your continuous support and kind words of appreciation. We will keep striving to make #India proud. #IndiaAtAsianGames #AsianGames2018 #AsianGames #AMG https://t.co/fXSxbu10ER

— Sharath Kamal (@sharathkamal1) August 29, 2018

Neha Aggarwal an Indian Olympian in the sport of Table Tennis and a sports business professional posted on Facebook appreciating the duo.