India’s journey at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships 2026 concluded on a disappointing note with both the men’s and women’s teams exiting in the round of 32 at the OVO Arena Wembley in London. The Indian men’s team suffered a 3-0 defeat against Austria, while the women’s team lost 3-1 to the United States, marking the end of their promising group stage performances.
In the men’s matches, Manush Shah, ranked World No. 51, fought hard but narrowly lost 3-2 to Olympian Robert Gardos. Despite strong efforts, Manav Thakkar and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran also faced defeats, leading to Austria’s comfortable victory.
Although the Indian men displayed strong form in the group stage, securing wins against Tunisia, Guatemala, and a comeback victory over Slovakia, they couldn’t maintain their momentum in the knockout phase. The women’s team, after a confident group stage performance, faced tough competition from the United States, resulting in their exit from the championships.
India’s women’s team, led by Yashaswini Ghorpade and Manika Batra, showcased resilience but couldn’t overcome the strong American team. Despite earlier successes against Ukraine, Uganda, and Rwanda in the group stage, the Indian women couldn’t replicate their performance in the knockout stage.
A total of 64 teams participated in the championships, with India showing promise in the initial stages but finding the knockout phase challenging this time. The prestigious championships, which began as a standalone event in 2000, are set to conclude on May 10.
