MUMBAI: Indian table tennis achieved another significant milestone this week as the dynamic right-hand-left-hand combination of Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah climbed to a career-best World No. 2 in the latest ITTF men’s doubles rankings. It is the highest ranking ever attained by an Indian pair in any doubles discipline, underlining the country’s growing stature on the global table tennis stage.The Indian duo now sit behind only the formidable Chinese partnership of Lin Shidong and Huang Youzheng, a remarkable rise for a pair that has steadily established itself among the world’s elite over the past year. Their ascent has been built not on one standout result but on a sustained run of performances across the biggest events on the World Table Tennis calendar.The foundations of their breakthrough season were laid through a series of impressive results against topclass opposition.Earlier this year, Manav and Manush reached the semifinals of the prestigious Singapore Smash. They followed that with a quarterfinal appearance at the United States Smash last week.The rankings also reflect the broader progress of Indian doubles table tennis.Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade have climbed to World No. 10 in women’s doubles, while the mixed doubles pairing of Diya and Manush is ranked No. 5. For the first time, India has three pairs simultaneously placed inside the world’s top 10 across men’s, women’s and mixed doubles events.
