Balancing act crucial as Manush hopes to raise the bar

For Manush Shah, 2025 was not just another year on the professional circuit. It was the year when potential turned into proof — proof that Indian paddlers could not only climb the global rankings but also earn their place on table tennis’ most exclusive stage.

“2025 was the best year of my sporting career,” Manush, the bespectacled Barodian, says without hesitation after having started 2026 on a perfect note, a title at the WTT Feeder in front of his home crowd.

“In terms of how I developed in singles, mixed doubles and men’s doubles, I rose significantly and performed exceptionally well for the country at the world level.”

The numbers support the claim, but the milestones tell the real story. In a historic breakthrough, Manush and Diya Chitale qualified for the mixed doubles event at the WTT Finals, becoming the first Indian pair to feature at the season-ending championship reserved for the world’s top eight in each category. For Indian table tennis, long accustomed to near-misses on the biggest stage, it was a moment of arrival.

“For us, qualifying itself was the biggest high to end the year on,” Manush says. “It was history-making for India.”

The beginning

The seeds of that achievement were sown far earlier — in October 2023, in Muscat, almost unnoticed.

“That was the first time Diya and I played together,” Manush recalls. “We were both number five in the (Indian) team – young, just breaking into the senior set-up. That’s where the idea came that maybe we should try mixed doubles.”

Manush had previously experimented with partnerships that didn’t quite click. With Diya, things felt different from the outset — technically and temperamentally.

“She was compatible with a left-hander, and that was a big plus for me. We complement each others’ style,” he says. The real belief, however, arrived in Goa at the WTT Star Contender in January 2024, where the pair recorded standout wins against fancied pairs from Sweden and Singapore.

“That’s when we were very sure that we wanted to take this forward,” Manush says. “Not just play tournaments, but play for India for as long as we can.”

The roadmap for 2025 was clear: qualify for the Finals. A favourable draw in the Singapore Smash proved decisive, delivering 350 ranking points and placing the Indian pair firmly in contention. Tunisia followed, and with it came a defining victory — a title win against a strong Japanese pair.

“The first half of the year was very solid,” Manush explains. “We got big wins and big points. That helped us a lot in the second half, where results weren’t as strong, but the early work paid off.”

By the time they reached the Star Contender semifinals later in the year in Muscat, the equation was simple: qualification was within reach — and soon, confirmed.

Hong Kong, the venue for the WTT Finals, offered a reality check — and a learning curve.

“We played Olympic champions, the current world No. 1 pair, and the host favourites,” Manush says. “The crowd was 5,000, with all the people cheering against us.”

He smiles while recounting the experience. “It felt like three against five thousand — me, Diya and Massimo (Costantini, India’s head coach).”

The results didn’t go India’s way, but the experience proved invaluable.

Diya Chitale.
| Photo Credit:
RITU RAJ KONWAR

“The conditions were very slow — conditions we had struggled in earlier,” Manush explains. “But this time, we competed well. We were close in many sets.”

For a pair that had built its reputation in faster conditions, this was a turning point. “The biggest positive was the belief that we can do it even in slow conditions,” he says. “That belief didn’t exist before 2025.”

Tightrope walk

While the mixed doubles breakthrough grabbed headlines, it also complicated Manush’s professional life. Unlike players who specialise, Manush now competes in four events — singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles and the team championship. And in a year where besides individual glory, the focus will also be on retaining India’s bronze at the Asian Games, Manush knows it’s a tight rope to walk on.

“It’s difficult,” he admits. “I have to manage Indian ranking, world ranking, singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles. Technically, four events.”

The challenge isn’t just physical. “I also have to take care of my body and my mind so that when the India team needs me at my peak, I’m ready.”

That means planning differently from most of his peers. “I’m the only player doing four events,” he says. “So my calendar has to be different.”

Yet, Manush doesn’t shy away from the challenge. “I’m up for it,” he says. “I’m preparing mentally, physically and in my game to be at my peak for most of the year.”

For casual fans, rankings often feel abstract — numbers without emotion. Manush explains why they mean everything.

“In table tennis, if I lose one match, it affects my ranking, my selection, my future tournaments,” he says.

“It’s like cricket — the last ball, need four to win.”

The pressure, he feels, is relentless. “You are expected to handle it. That’s what being an elite athlete means.”

Asked how he copes, Manush’s answer reflects a mindset shaped by experience — and inspiration. “I control what’s in my hand,” he says. “And I believe my racket will do the talking.” He pauses, then adds with a smile: “I’m a big Kohli fan.”

Looking ahead

With Asian Games on the horizon and Commonwealth Games off the table for table tennis, Manush’s focus is sharp. “The Asian Games is the target,” he says plainly.

The memory of Hangzhou still lingers — a near-upset against the World No. 1 men’s doubles pair in 2023.

“We (Manav Thakkar and I) were unranked, they were No. 1, and we almost won,” he says. “This time, we want to start in the top four so we get a better draw.”

Clear goal

In mixed doubles, the goal is equally clear: break into the top eight and turn quarterfinals into medals. “The belief has already begun at the WTT Finals,” Manush says. While he waits for the senior National championship window to be formalised, Manush has shifted entirely to the international circuit. The WTT Feeder Vadodara title was followed by the southpaw qualifying for the main draw of the WTT Star Contender in Doha before losing to Japan’s Ryoichi Yoshiyama in the round of 64.

The coming weeks are mapped out meticulously: a planned break for skills training, then Chennai Star Contender and the Singapore Smash — the bigger stages that test both skill and endurance.

“I won’t play the Asia Cup,” he says. “I want to prepare properly for the bigger events.”

For Manush, 2025 delivered lessons — about belief, balance and belonging at the top. 2026, he hopes, will deliver rewards.

“Qualifying for the Finals was the first step,” he says. “Now the aim is to go back better — and do something special for India.”