We (U Mumba) have had a wonderful Ultimate Table Tennis so far and I believe each of us has performed our roles admirably.
Being a new team, there was some additional pressure on us, with expectations riding high in the camp. With three wins in four ties, I guess it is fair to say that we haven’t let anybody down. We are of course at the top of the table with 33 points, with our eyes firmly set on a semis spot.
But we can’t take anything for granted as we still have one more match left, and that too against a solid team in Goa Challengers. After that, we will play the knockouts and we know pretty well that this UTT format doesn’t give too many second chances.
Talking about our last game against Puneri Paltan, I must say that we take a lot of heart from our singles performance as we won all four of them. It shows the depth of our squad but I must admit that we have been left wanting in the mixed doubles. We really will have to work on this as it is probably the most crucial encounter between two strong or equal teams.
As for my match against Harmeet Desai, I would say that even though the result was in my favour it was not an easy match at all. Harmeet came into the league on the back of a great win in the Commonwealth Championships. It was a great match and both of us were under great pressure to win it for our team.
After a good start in the Women's Singles, it was really necessary for me to build on that to set the foundation for the rest of the tie. Luckily, my teammate and captain Kirill Gerassimenko too had a great game and that firmly put us in the driver's seat.
Now moving on, we take on Goa Challengers, who are placed second in the table. They are enjoying a great run and will be a tough opponent to face. They are pretty much a balanced side and it will be a tough ask for us.
For me, I would be up against Amalraj Anthony or Alvaro Robles and I am looking forward to it. I know the way they play and it could get tricky with either of them. Whoever I face, I know that I will definitely go in with the aim of winning.
(BVK Sports and Media) (Former U-18 World No.1 Manav Thakkar plays for U Mumba TT in UTT)
-- Manav Thakkar
