Manika Batra, Manav Thakkar to lead India’s 8

In Table Tennis, India’s three-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games medallist Manika Batra and Manav Thakkar will lead India’s eight-member squad at the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2025 at Chengdu in China, beginning today. The team also features Akash Pal, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Payas Jain, Diya Chitale, Yashaswini Ghorpade, and Swastika Ghosh. With the mixed team format set to make its Olympic debut at LA 2028, this year’s championship carries added significance. The 2025 edition marks the third ITTF Mixed Team World Cup, with Chengdu hosting the tournament for the third consecutive year. Alongside Manika and Manav, Olympian Sathiyan Gnanasekaran will also represent India in the week-long competition in Chengdu.