Manav Thakkar: Want to lead India into Worlds, Asian Games as Sharath Kamal did over the years
When Chennai hosted the WTT Star Contender tournament last year, the major storyline was the farewell of five-time Olympian Sharath Kamal. The 6’1” powerhouse, who carried Indian table tennis on his broad shoulders, could not go beyond the round of 16 in singles. But as the event progressed, it also provided a glimpse into the post-Sharath era.
Manav Thakkar, a bespectacled, lean, 5’10” paddler from Vadodara, had the best tournament of his career as he took down two seeded players on his way to the semifinals.
In the months after the tournament in Chennai, with an improved ranking, Thakkar could enter higher-level events such as WTT Champions and the Grand Smashes. He tested himself against the top players such as Lin Shidong, Truls Moregard, Simon Gauzy, Tomokazo Harimoto and others, gaining valuable experience.
At the same time, his doubles partnership with childhood friend Manush Shah continued to strengthen as the duo, currently World No. 5, made two finals and three semifinals in 2025.
Thakkar, presently at a career high of 33 in singles in the ITTF Rankings, is back in Chennai for the WTT Star Contender event and this time, he is the No. 4 seed.
In a conversation with Sportstar, Thakkar reflected on being the top-ranked Indian, competing against the world’s best, his doubles progress with Shah and more:-
Q: You have been India No. 1 for almost a year. After Sharath’s retirement, people expect you to lead the men’s team in major competitions such as the World Championships and the Asian Games. Does that put pressure on you?
Yes, I have been India No. 1 since the past one year and I want to lead the team the way Sharath bhaiya did over the years. I don’t think it puts pressure on me. At the same time, I am looking forward to playing in front of everyone, beating the top guys and leading the Indian team to victory. Hopefully, I will be able to do it soon.
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Q: You have recently competed against some high-quality opponents such as Truls Moregard (Paris Olympics silver medallist) and Lin Shidong (World Cup 2025 silver medallist). You even beat former World No. 8 Simon Gauzy at the WTT Champions event in Doha last month. How was the experience of taking on such players?
It was a very good experience to play with the top players like Gauzy, Harimoto and Truls. And yes, I won against Gauzy. It is the best win of my career so far. I am really happy that I’m able to play against those guys, and even challenge and beat some of them in the past few months. I hope to continue this momentum in Chennai and will try to give my 100 per cent here.
Q: Competing against the players mentioned earlier requires focused training with good sparring partners. Tell us about your training base and methods.
I train in France with the Lebrun (Alexis and Felix) brothers at the Montpellier Club. It’s a very good training base for me. The methods are quite unique and creative. When I’m in India, I train in Chennai with Sharath Bhaiya. He is my mentor and helps me to train.
Q. Which aspect of your game do you think needs to improve to get into Top 20 and eventually Top 10?
To enter Top 20 and eventually Top 10, I have to work on my physique. I need more strength in my body for more powerful and spin-heavy strokes. I have been training to do it for the past few months. It is not very easy to build muscles. The progress is there but it’s quite slow. Hopefully, if I am consistent and do it over a long period, I will be able to achieve it. I can see the changes in my body as I have been able to compete with the best players in the past three months.
At the same time, I need to consistently play events like WTT Champions and Grand Smashes and do well over there to get confidence.
Q: In men’s doubles, you have a solid partner in Manush. You’re World No. 5. Last year, you made deep runs at some events. Do you have any specific goals for this year? Also, do you plan to play mixed doubles as well?
I don’t think many people know that we are World No. 5. This year is going to be very important for us because we have to make our mark at the Asian Games, get recognition and keep the country’s flag flying high by getting a medal.
We did have quite a few deep runs. We made the finals in Skopje (Macedonia) and Foz do Iguazu (Brazil). This year, we want to do well at the four Smash events – Singapore, China, Europe and the USA on the WTT Circuit.
Manush and I are constantly in touch as we plan our schedule. Even after a win or a loss, we sit together and discuss where we can improve individually and as a pair for better coordination.
As far as mixed doubles is concerned, I don’t know. First of all, I need to find a partner. Only two pairs per country can play mixed doubles in a WTT event and one is Manush-Diya (Chitale) because they are doing quite well in the circuit. So, I don’t know who might be the second (Indian) pair and it’s not easy to get the entry as well. So, with the Asian Games coming this year, I am focussing on men’s singles and men’s doubles.
Published on Feb 11, 2026