‘Happy with team’s effort, it’s a good start for the young crop’ – Costantini after Asian Team Championships

Minutes after Ankur Bhattacharjee’s five-game thriller decided India’s fate—a quarterfinal exit at the hands of Hong Kong (China) in the Asian Table Tennis Team Championships—young captain Manav Thakkar, leading an inexperienced side, turned to head coach Massimo Costantini and murmured, “Sorry, coach.”

The Italian veteran, though, wasn’t having any of it. “Don’t feel sorry,” he told Manav and the rest of the team. “You gave your best.”

Costantini, in fact, sounded anything but disappointed after his men failed to secure a medal for the first time in four editions.

“I am not disappointed. It was a balanced match. We lost two games by a close margin of 3-2. At the end, it’s 3-0, I understand. And no excuses,” Costantini told Sportstar.

READ: Asian Table Tennis Team Championships 2025: Manav Thakkar leads new-look India men into quarters

“I didn’t expect much—the team is young, with big responsibility on them. First time, boom, they’re in a quarterfinal, defending a medal they didn’t even win last year. Both Ankur and Manush (Shah) were playing for the first time. They said, ‘Sorry coach, we tried.’ And I’m happy with the effort. They did their job, they tried. I knew the match was tough. We lost, but I think this is a good start for the young crop.”

Costantini, who has overseen multiple generations of Indian paddlers, admitted that his next task will be to work on the team’s mental fortitude as it begins life after the retirement of stalwart A. Sharath Kamal.

“Sharath is a leader. Now we have to work to make someone else a leader. Legacy is not an easy task,” he said. “It takes time to develop mentally. Tactically and technically, they are doing great things. But mentally, you have a million thoughts during a match—‘What’ if I lose? What if my country, my team…?’ How you manage these emotions—that’s my job, to make them ready for the next time.”

Published on Oct 12, 2025