India has a supreme count of talented table tennis players ranging from Neha Aggarwal to Sharath Kamal. In recent times, Indian paddlers have also brought immense pride to their country by winning big at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. Moreover, unlike before, table tennis is recognized with more respect in India and around the world. To honor all the heroes that made this possible, we have compiled a list of the Top 7 greatest table tennis players of India.
1. Neha Aggarwal
Ranking first on our list of the top 7 greatest table tennis players of India, this superstar has bagged numerous accolades under her name. She is the only woman from India to be featured in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. This paddler showed early signs of genius by winning the Junior National Table Tennis Championship twice. She further went on to achieve gold and bronze in the Commonwealth Youth Games and Commonwealth championships, respectively. As of now, this superstar is pursuing her further education in Sports Management at Columbia University.
2. Ankita Das
One of the best players our country has ever witnessed, Ankita Das has her name down in history for playing the national finals for 10 years straight. Moreover, she is most well-known for winning the championships at the 75th Senior National Table Tennis Championships in the year 2014. Furthermore, she has also given some noteworthy international performances and has clinched numerous medals in her career. To speak of a few of her accomplishments, Das has the distinction of representing India at the 2012 Summer Olympics and is also the gold medallist at WJC Canada Cadet Girls and the South Africa Cadet Girls.
3. Anthony Amalraj
This paddler from Tamil Nadu has won several medals at various domestic and international table tennis tournaments. Winning the silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in doubles with Sharath Kamal, as well as the 2012 National Table Tennis Championship, Amalraj is undoubtedly known as one of the toughest table tennis players in India. Few other feathers in his cap include winning the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and being awarded the Arjuna Award in the year 2017.
4. Kamlesh Mehta
Kamlesh Mehta is a retired table tennis player, however, is known to be one of the best table tennis players in India. Not only was he the captain of the Indian table tennis team from 1982 to 1989, but was also the highest-ranked Indian player in Asia, and the Commonwealth Games. This superstar made our country proud by representing India in seven World Championships. Eight Asian Championships, two Asian Games, four SAF Games, and two Olympic games. His best performance to this date was in the 1991 SAF Games where he bagged seven gold and four silver medals. Lastly, he was also awarded the Arjuna award. Mehta is now the owner and facilitator of a TT academy under his name.
5. Poulomi Ghatak
Representing her country at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and playing at the Sydney Olympics at the age of 16, Ghatak is known to be the young prodigy of India. She has won several titles, including 1998 Senior and Junior National Championships. Moreover, to everyone’s astonishment, she won three consecutive Junior National Championships and seven Senior National Championships. She is a force to reckon with and therefore enumerated as the fifth-greatest table tennis player on our list.
6. Mouma Das
Yet another Bengali paddler to make it big in the world of table tennis is Mouma Das. To date, she has represented her country at multiple international competitions in the early 2000s. She has clinched multiple medals at Commonwealth Games including a gold in the Women’s Team Competition in 2018. She also won a silver medal in the singles event along with a team medal at the 2015 Commonwealth Championships, making her by far the Indian table tennis player with the maximum Commonwealth medals. Adding to her list of achievements, is the Arjuna Award in the year 2013, for all her contributions to the sport.
7. Soumyajit Ghosh
Being the youngest Indian table tennis player to qualify for the 2012 Olympics held in London, this Bengali paddler has certainly achieved extraordinary feats. Ghosh has also been known to be the youngest National champion at the young age of 19 in the 74th National Table Tennis Championships. After winning the ITTF Challenge Seamaster Chile Open singles event in April 2017, Soumyajit Ghosh is considered an immense talent. It's exciting to see what he achieves next and how he brings pride to India.
REFERENCES:
https://www.kreedon.com/famous-indian-table-tennis-players/?amp https://www.sportsunfold.com/top-10-famous-table-tennis-players-in-india-all-time/
Also Read | Top 10 greatest Table Tennis players of all time
