Kachchh win maiden Men’s Team title

GANDHIDHAM, AUG. 30: Hosts Kachchh summed their impressive run at the SBI Gujarat State & Inter-District Table Tennis Championship -2021 with a performance to remember as they defeated Ahmedabad 3-1 to win their maiden Men’s Team title.
Ishaan Hingorani, Kachchh’s star, once again led from the front as he set the ball rolling with an 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7 win over Dhairya Parmar in the opening tie of the Championship, co-sponsored by WinWin Maritime Limited and supported by the Sports Authority of Gujarat and Kachchh District Table Tennis Association (KDTTA).
Chitrax Bhatt restored the parity with an 11-5, 11-3, 11-7 win over Umang Thapa but that turned out to be a consolation for Ahmedabad.
Mihir Gandhi then restored Kachchh’s lead with a coming-from-behind 5-11, 11-8, 11-3, 12-10 win over Riyan Dutta before Ishaan made his experience count to overcome a dogged resistance from Chitrax with an 11-9, 12-14, 11-13, 11-8, 12-10 win as the local support at the Late M.P. Mittra Indoor Stadium, Haresh Sangtani Sports Complex in Adipur, Gandhidham erupted in joy.
“I want to congratulate the Kachchh team for this momentous win. They were impressive throughout their matches and helped Kachchh record a historic win at their home,” GSTTA president Mr Vipul Mittra, who is also the president of KDTTA, said. “I hope the performance of the team will inspire others in the district and help the coming generations to emulate these champions,” Mr Mittra, IAS, added.
“We want to dedicate this win to our late secretary Mr Haresh Sangtani, who had recently passed away. He was instrumental in the rise of Kachchh and he gave his all for the development of the sport in the district as well as the State. It is an emotional moment for us to win the title at the very stadium which is his legacy and the fulcrum of his vision to make Gujarat a table tennis powerhouse. I know he is watching us from heaven and he is feeling proud,” Mihir, the senior member of the team, said in a poignant message after an emotional win.
A star-studded Surat lived up to the hype as they blanked Bhavnagar 3-0 to win the Women’s Team title.
India No. 7 Krittwika Sinha Roy blanked Naitri Dave 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 while Gujarat’s leading women’s star Frenaz Chipia looked in sublime touch with an 11-7, 11-3, 11-3 win over Namna Jayswal.
Filzah Kadri had a battle in hand but she came alive when needed as she overcame a fighting Pratha Parmar for an 11-7, 11-13, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4 win to settle the issue.
Ahmedabad, meanwhile, had a lot to cheer as unseeded Nidhi Prajapati recorded an upset win for the Junior Girls’ (U-17) title.
In the final, Nidhi showed her fighting spirit to overturn a two-game deficit to shock top Milli Tanna of Surat 5-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9, 11-4.
Arnee Parmar of Surat, the third seed, took third place with an 11-9, 5-11, 11-9, 11-3 win over Ahmedabad’s Pratha Pawar, the under-13 champion at the Championship.
Meanwhile, second seed Burhanuddin Malubhai of Surat took the Junior Boys’ (U-17) title with an 11-7, 9-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 win over top seed and teammate Shlok Bajaj.
Fifth seed Arman Shaikh of Aravalli took third place with an 8-11, 11-8, 10-12, 16-14, 11-2 win over fourth seed Shlok Malpani of Surat.