Table Tennis: Kamal and Batra move up in world rankings
What's the story
Indian table tennis aces Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra have moved up in the world rankings as they achieved 33rd and 57th ranks respectively. They have become the highest ranked Indian players. Kamal has, in the process, upstaged his fellow Indian G Sathiyan, ranked at 39. On the other hand, Batra made a jump of 24 places. Here's more.
Kamal
Achanta Kamal's journey till now
Kamal has been one of the brightest table tennis stars India have ever produced. His performances, at Commonwealth Games, have been phenomenal. He bagged gold in the men's singles category in 2006. In 2010 Commonwealth, held at Delhi, he won the gold in the men's doubles. Kamal is a recipient of the Arjuna Award and had represented India in the 2004 Olympics.
Batra
Manika Batra: A look at her glorious career
Manika Batra has been equally competent, winning the gold in the 2018 Commonwealth women's singles as well as a part of the Indian team. She won silver in the women's doubles and bronze in the mixed doubles. The 2016 South Asian Games also saw her stunning form as she grabbed gold for the women's team, in the women's singles and the mixed doubles.
Others
What about other Indians?
While Sathiyan has jumped one spot to be ranked 39th, some other Indian players have fallen down from their previous positions. Harmeet Desai, who was ranked 79th before the Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, has slipped down 20 places to 99th spot. Another Indian, Ayhika Mukherjee, slipped down one place and is currently ranked 118th.
Top spots
ITTF Rankings: Who are the best in the world?
The ITTF released its recent rankings on Friday, after taking the World Table Tennis Championships at South Korea and the Commonwealth Games in Australia, into consideration. Fan Zhendong, the Chinese table tennis player is ranked number one. He is the youngest champion. China's Zhu Yuling ascended to the number 1 spot after winning the ITTF Women's World Cup and has retained her position.