Jammu: The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) men defeated the Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) 3-1 to lift the silverware for the 26th time in team events of the 84th UTT Inter-State Senior National Table Tennis Championships at the Gymnasium Hall of Jammu University today.
However, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) emerged as the newest champions when their women lifted the trophy for the first time after struggling past Tamil Nadu 3-2 to achieve the feat.
If PSPB men defended the title in style and authority against the Railways, the final between RBI and Tamil Nadu had all the trappings of an edge-of-the-seat Bollywood suspense potboiler.
Yashini Sivashankar and Kowshika Venkatesan brought Tamil Nadu to the brink of their second title, almost in three decades, until Diya Chitale changed the script in the third game of the decider. TN women won their first team trophy in the Mumbai Nationals in January 1992.
The 19-year-old Mumbai girl, unlike her experienced teammates Ayhika Mukherjee and Sreeja Akula, attacked with excellent reach to outsmart Kowshika. Such was her ferocity in the approach of Diya, and also the difference between her teammates, that she was able to control Yashini Sivashankar in the first rubber (3-2) and decimate Kowshika in the decider (3-1) after Yashini pulled level in the fourth tie to scare the RBI bench.
However, with her free-flowing strokes, long rallies and clever use of the flanks, Diya put a lot of doubts in the mind of Kowshika, who couldn’t decide whether to go for the push or counter!
After Diya and Ayhika, with great struggle, put RBI 2-0 ahead, Kavyashree Baskar and Yashini infused fresh life and confidence into the team when they defeated Sreeja Akula and Ayhika, respectively, in the third and fourth rubbers. Even Kowshika had the upper hand, holding two game points in the first against Diya at 10-8, but lost both and another one before Diya won 13-11. The TN girl fought back nicely in the second and pulled level, but Diya rewrote the script midway through the third to complete the job.
The TN and RBI women played 21 out of 25 games to make it a memorable final in recent times. Incidentally, this will be the second runners-up position after they lost to the Petroleum Sports Control Board in the final of the Goa Nationals held in 1993.
G. Sathiyan led the Petroleum charge against the Railways and, expectedly, took the final to its logical conclusion with a 3-1 triumph. With A. Sharath Kamal missing from the team line-up, PSPB gave a chance to Sanil Shetty to fill the void. But the left-hander failed to grab the opportunity and lost to the promising Aakash Pal in the third rubber.
After Manav Thakkar provided the lead, beating Ronit Bhanja 3-0, Sathiyan put the reigning champions 2-0 up when he beat Anirban Ghosh 3-0. Aakash Pal pulled one back, forcing Sathiyan into the fray for the fourth tie and the World No. 44, without wasting time, completed the task to end the agony.
Results (Team Events):
Men: Final: Petroleum Sports Promotion Board bt Railway Sports Promotion Board 3-1 (Manav Thakkar bt Ronit Bhanja 11-5, 11-9, 11-8; G. Sathiyan bt Anirban Ghosh 11-5, 11-9, 11-4; Sanil Shetty lost to Akash Pal 2-11, 15-13, 9-11, 12-10, 8-11; G. Sathiyan bt Ronit Bhanja 11-7, 11-5, 12-10).
Women: Final: RBI bt Tamil Nadu 3-2 (Diya Chitale bt Yashini Sivashankar 11-4, 3-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-7; Ayhika Mukherjee bt Kowshika Venkatesan 11-6, 20-18, 11-8; Sreeja Akula lost to Kavyashree Baskar 8-11, 11-8, 11-13, 8-11; Ayhika Mukherjee lost to Yashini Sivashankar 8-11, 11-4, 11-8, 7-11, 7-11; Diya Chitale bt Kowshika Venkatesan 13-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6).
–TTFI
