They share the same surname. They hail from the same town, not too far from Kolkata. It was their respective mother’s influence that drew them to the 9’x5’ table.
It’s no surprise that Ayhika and Sutirtha - the Mukherjees from Naihati - are best friends. And after being groomed at the same academy in their hometown, they have been reunited at the Dhanuka Dhunseri Soumyadeep Poulomi TT Academy.
India’s dynamic duo beat China’s Meng Chen and Yidi Wang in the quarterfinal to secure a table tennis bronze for India at the Asian Games on Saturday. The pair won the four-game contest 11-5, 11-5, 5-11, 11-9 to advance to the semifinals.
Their achievement could well go down as one of the biggest upsets not only in table tennis but in the 19th edition of the Games in its entirety, given that the Chinese pair is ranked second in the world and is the reigning world champion too.
“Both Poulomi and I have played multiple Asian Games but in our coaching career, this is the best moment so far. Being competitive at the Asian Games table tennis event is as difficult as – if not more than – the Olympics,” says Roy.
“You can be proud if one of your students wins a medal at this stage. When both the students combine together as a team, it is inexplicable.”
That Ayhika and Sutirtha have been childhood friends works to their advantage, no doubt. But the manner in which they have coordinated on the table is remarkable, considering it’s been only a year since they started teaming up together.
While Sutirtha plays with a soft pimpled rubber, Ayhika relies on her uncanny usage of long-pimpled rubbers. It usually means Ayhika controls the game, sets up the point and Sutirtha, with her powerful forehand, finishes the key points off. This ploy helped them win the World Table Tennis Contender title in Tunisia in June, a first by an Indian women’s pair.
In Hangzhou, Ayhika and Sutirtha swapped roles to befuddle their opponents. With the Indian pair leading 8-4 in the fourth – just three points away from sealing the deal – sensing the change in the Chinese approach after the next point, coach Mamata Prabhu signalled a time-out at 8-5.
“The service was in our hand so we had to capitalise on it. And I could sense that their forehand was exposed so I had to tell them to change flanks. It worked both in terms of strategy and getting them relaxed,” Mamata said.
That 60-second break gave the Mukherjees a breather to reorganise their thoughts and register a sensational win.
For India’s table tennis contingent, this result was a breath of fresh air after multiple near-misses.
The men’s team, Manika Batra in women’s singles and Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar in men’s doubles had all suffered the so-near-yet-so-far syndrome in quarterfinals. But the Mukherjees ensured Indian table tennis will return from the Asian Games with a medal for the second edition in succession.
