India's men's and women's table tennis teams both clinched the team gold medals at the 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships on Thursday (July 30) defeating Malaysia in the finals at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi.
The event, hosted in India from July 27 to August 2, 2026, marks the return of the championships after the 2019 edition in Cuttack. Table tennis is absent from the concurrent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, making this a key competition.
India's men's squad (top-seeded) featured Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, G. Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, and Payas Jain. The women's side included Sreeja Akula, Swastika Ghosh, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Syndrela Das, and Sutirtha Mukherjee. Manika Batra was not in the squad.
Both teams progressed
strongly overall, with the men recovering from the early Malaysia setback and the women handling challenges such as a 3-2 win over Australia in the second stage. Malaysia emerged as the common finalist after strong runs that included upsetting higher-ranked sides. The double team gold continues India's strong recent record in the competition.
Individual events (singles, doubles, mixed doubles) continue through August 2, with a record prize purse of around $110,000 on offer across the championships.
Women's Team Final: India 3-0 Malaysia
Sreeja Akula-led India overcame Malaysia in a contest that was tighter than the scoreline suggested. With the straight wins for India trio, Syndrela Das and Sutirtha Mukherjee didn't have to play in the final.
Swastika Ghosh beat Ai Xin Tee 11-7, 11-2, 9-11, 11-9
Sreeja Akula defeated Karen Lyne Anak Dick 9-11, 11-6, 11-4, 5-11, 11-3
Yashaswini Ghorpade beat Alice Lee Sian Chang 7-11, 11-3, 17-15, 11-5
Men's Team Final: India 3-2 Malaysia
Manush Shah delivered two crucial wins as India edged a spirited Malaysia 3-2, avenging a shock league-stage loss to the same opponents on the opening day and retaining the title.
Manav Thakkar beat Javen Choong 12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 11-5
Manush Shah defeated Wong Qi Shen 11-13, 11-9, 11-7, 2-11, 11-7
G. Sathiyan lost to Tey Hong Yu 7-11, 8-11, 10-12
Manav Thakkar lost to Wong Qi Shen 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 1-11
Manush Shah defeated Javen Choong 11-7, 11-4, 11-4
A near-capacity home crowd erupted as Manush dominated the decider. The men's side had swept England 3-0 in the semis. Manav Thakkar competed through the later stages despite a forehead injury (requiring 13 stitches) sustained earlier against Australia. This win gives India the much needed boost ahead of the Asian Games.
