Run-in between Batra and TTFI?

[zeio]

About time to catch up on Batra. Best of luck once again to WTT India (here and here).

Batra's X post after missing out on Aichi-Nagoya 2026
2026/6/19
https://x.com/manikabatra_TT/status/2067821768501522749

Manika Batra (@manikabatra_TT) on X

I urge Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodi ji, our Sports Minister @mansukhmandviya ji and @WeAreTeamIndia to look into the matter 🙏🙏🙏 https://t.co/VuyaBvTyKT

x.com

Follow-up post
2026/6/26
https://x.com/manikabatra_TT/status/2070353428778553701

Manika Batra (@manikabatra_TT) on X

🙏 https://t.co/W2JAbKcMCx

x.com

Timeline
2026/6/18
India’s Asian Games 2026 table tennis team: Sreeja Akula, G Sathiyan in squad; Manika Batra named in reserves
https://www.olympics.com/en/news/asian-games-2026-indian-table-tennis-team-squad

The squad was picked in accordance with the federation’s selection policy, which allocates 50 per cent weightage to national rankings, 40 per cent to world rankings and 10 per cent to the discretion of the selection committee.

Arguably one of India’s most decorated paddlers, the 31-year-old Manika Batra failed to make the main squad and was named among the reserves.

Her omission from the core group stemmed from her absence from domestic tournaments, which meant she did not feature in the national rankings despite being the second-best ranked Indian table tennis player in women’s singles internationally.

2026/6/19
Manika Batra seeks Union Sports Minister’s intervention for Asian Games exclusion
https://www.thehindu.com/sport/mani...for-asian-games-exclusion/article71120683.ece

2026/6/24
Manika Batra Hints at Legal Action Over Asian Games Snub, Rejects Special Favours Narrative
https://revsportz.in/manika-batra-h...games-snub-rejects-special-favours-narrative/
EXCLUSIVE: TTFI explains Manika Batra’s Asian Games 2026 omission
https://revsportz.in/exclusive-ttfi-explains-manika-batras-asian-games-2026-omission/

Explaining the final decision, TTFI also revealed that after a long discussions among selectors, “Ms Sutirtha Mukherjee secured eight votes” for the fifth and final spot in of the team. They also mentioned Swastika Ghosh received six votes while Batra secured only two which reflects the collective decision of the selection committee.

2026/6/25
Manika Batra's Asian Games doors remain firmly shut: Table tennis federation source
https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/ot...nis-federation-asian-games-2933851-2026-06-25

 

[Janard]

Maybe this will spur the current team to be even more motivated to win a medal and prove Batra wrong

 

[zeio]

The bigger question is why did Batra not have a national ranking?

 

[NextLevel]

The bigger question is why did Batra not have a national ranking?

Yeah, something about this sounds very inconsistent:

"However, the TTFI’s selection policy, framed in November 2023 after a series of selection-related controversies and court cases, follows a structured points-based system. The policy allocates 50% weightage to national rankings, 40% to international rankings and 10% to selectors’ ratings."

If this was transparently obvious, then it is clearly Batra's fault. But I suspect there is a nuance and timing that the article is not being transparent about.

 

[zeio]

Posting the Selection Policy below as TTFI has blocked international access to its official site recently (since early 2026?).

Selection Policy
https://www.ttfi.org/pages/index/moyas
https://www.ttfi.org/uploads/pdf/webinfo/2023/SelectionPolicyTTFI9thMay2023.pdf

Selection Committee
https://www.ttfi.org/uploads/pdf/webinfo/2022/SR_Selector_17-Sept_2023.pdf

https://www.ttfi.org/uploads/pdf/webinfo/2022/JT_Selector_17-Sept-2023.pdf

 

[Singshasha]

Yeah, something about this sounds very inconsistent:

"However, the TTFI’s selection policy, framed in November 2023 after a series of selection-related controversies and court cases, follows a structured points-based system. The policy allocates 50% weightage to national rankings, 40% to international rankings and 10% to selectors’ ratings."

If this was transparently obvious, then it is clearly Batra's fault. But I suspect there is a nuance and timing that the article is not being transparent about.

According to TTFI, Batra did not hold a national ranking.

Does that mean she did not take part in any national ranking competition?
Or did she take part but loss early to not be ranked and ending up with zero points.

This policy sounds straight forward with points adding together so why did she score 0 points in the 50? Sounds like her own doing.

 

[NextLevel]

According to TTFI, Batra did not hold a national ranking.

Does that mean she did not take part in any national ranking competition?
Or did she take part but loss early to not be ranked and ending up with zero points.

This policy sounds straight forward with points adding together so why did she score 0 points in the 50? Sounds like her own doing.

It *looks* straightforward but I am working under the assumption that players usually know obvious things. Sometimes, things like timing, whether the ranking was about an average or a particular date are all nuanced. It seems that the cutoff was ittf ranking 50 for automatic qualification without national points but her ranking was 51. Which makes her not being selected by the coaches to be very questionable. But in the end, everyone will live and learn. Sreeja who had no domestic ranking points either but was 47 internationally made the team.

Manika Batra dropped from Asian Games squad

Her absence from the national circuit — and thus the national rankings — meant she lost the selectors’ votes

www.hindustantimes.com

TTFI’s selection committee named a 10-member squad of five men and five women, “selecting players primarily based on world and national rankings,” as per a TTFI statement. Although Manika is ranked 51st in the world and is India’s No. 2 in women’s singles, her absence from the national circuit — and thus the national rankings — meant she lost the selectors’ votes.

Had Manika been in the top 50, she would have been an automatic pick. World No.45 Sreeja Akula is in the squad despite being 27th in the latest national rankings.

“As per the selection criteria, those in the top 50 of the international rankings get automatically selected. For the others, there is weightage given to international and domestic rankings, and points from those are considered,” Kamlesh Mehta, TTFI secretary general, told HT.

It is interesting that we don't see that featured in what @zeio posted. Again, all weird.

 

[NextLevel]

Maybe this will spur the current team to be even more motivated to win a medal and prove Batra wrong

Nah, as much as I respect and like players like Surtitha Mukherjee and Swastika Ghosh, Batra's point is blatantly clear and obvious and those two players are not as accomplished or even close as to as threatening on the circuit. At best, I suspect the selection committee feel that the international stars should face regret for not playing in domestic events if they cannot meet the criteria enables them to qualify automatically. So in a sense, this is a bit of a punishment/incentive to force these players to play more domestically.

 

[Janard]

Nah, as much as I respect and like players like Surtitha Mukherjee and Swastika Ghosh, Batra's point is blatantly clear and obvious and those two players are not as accomplished or even close as to as threatening on the circuit. At best, I suspect the selection committee feel that the international stars should face regret for not playing in domestic events if they cannot meet the criteria enables them to qualify automatically. So in a sense, this is a bit of a punishment/incentive to force these players to play more domestically.

It's definitely a punishment against Batra for whatever beef she has with the national association, but since they have the final say this lineup is likely confirmed.

I suppose my point is, if this Indian team manages to do well at the Asian Games, then it makes Batra look like a whiner and solidifies the association's emphasis on domestic ranking even though most of us would not agree with 😬 It all depends on the outcome ~

 

[driversbeat]

First Odo now Batra. National TT associations advocating for deglobalisation.

 

[JackJohnson]

Crazy that domestic ranking is weighted at 50% over international ranking at 40%.

I do see Batra having a clear case that she should have been picked.

 

[Singshasha]

It's definitely a punishment against Batra for whatever beef she has with the national association, but since they have the final say this lineup is likely confirmed.

I suppose my point is, if this Indian team manages to do well at the Asian Games, then it makes Batra look like a whiner and solidifies the association's emphasis on domestic ranking even though most of us would not agree with 😬 It all depends on the outcome ~

Crazy that domestic ranking is weighted at 50% over international ranking at 40%.

I do see Batra having a clear case that she should have been picked.

If Batra had maintained top 50 in the world, would she be whining today?

If she made the team, but not on performance matrix set, then why should the other players live by the same rules?

If she wasn’t happy with the rules set, she should of complained then and there, not now when she fell out of the automatic spot due to her drop in world rankings.

Does she believe TTFI should bend the rules and change it to 55 to allow Batra in? What happens when she falls to 61? Make it 65?

How much of the world ranking drop is Batra’s own responsibility?
I don’t quite understand her fight and on what grounds she thinks she will win against rules set way in advance. The only part is like a historical performance wild card, or coaches pick, but I don’t think there is one.
But she said there is no communications, so was she not aware of the rules?

 

[zeio]

First Odo now Batra. National TT associations advocating for deglobalisation.

It shows once again that the U in UTTP is for useless when the association still has the final say even for WTT events, as defined by ITTF!

Yeh Yi-Tian: I don't want to play some stupid continental championships when I can play grand smash.
CTTTA: Yes, you do, after receiving the grant from us.

Batra: I want to play the sacred continental games.
TTFI: No, you don't, for India is the world's largest democracy.

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...-chuang-chih-yuan-and-cttta.37366/post-526685

Doesn't matter how you spin it now. As I pointed out at the end of 2024, no one is truly independent when you can't sign up for international competitions all on your own, without the association acting as the man in the middle. The mechanism is simply not there, not even JTTA or HKTTA with their participation in international competitions at your own expense, as you're still representing your association and not yourself.

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...es-retirement-from-wtt-ittf.36209/post-500623

Getting your players on the same page doesn't mean controlling them, because the players and their affiliated teams have to get things done through the association. There is clearly a lack of communication among CTTTA and their players, and WTT. U for unprofessional.

 

[NextLevel]

If Batra had maintained top 50 in the world, would she be whining today?

If she made the team, but not on performance matrix set, then why should the other players live by the same rules?

If she wasn’t happy with the rules set, she should of complained then and there, not now when she fell out of the automatic spot due to her drop in world rankings.

Does she believe TTFI should bend the rules and change it to 55 to allow Batra in? What happens when she falls to 61? Make it 65?

How much of the world ranking drop is Batra’s own responsibility?
I don’t quite understand her fight and on what grounds she thinks she will win against rules set way in advance. The only part is like a historical performance wild card, or coaches pick, but I don’t think there is one.
But she said there is no communications, so was she not aware of the rules?

The difference between 51 and 50 is neither here nor there, especially when she has been above 50 for most of the year. Batta is not "whining". She asked for certain information to be sure that this was done in an objective way and not just the whims of a biased individual or selection committee. Batta could very well be above 50 by the end of next month etc. Something similar happened to Matsushima and was why he didn't play the WTTC in 2025 or the Asian Champs in 2024, though he had one other objectively measured opportunity to qualify and his rejection wasn't really a coaches selection issue but that the rsnking spot date was a date when he just happned to fall behind Yoshimura..

Without elaboration, it isn't clear why not playing domestically should be used to penalize Batta when trying to pick the best team. The committee just pointing to that is dereliction of duty IMHO. What would be helpful is for them to point out why it is important for a player to do so when most of their international achievements are what has put India on the map.

 

[zeio]

It's definitely a punishment against Batra for whatever beef she has with the national association, but since they have the final say this lineup is likely confirmed.

I suppose my point is, if this Indian team manages to do well at the Asian Games, then it makes Batra look like a whiner and solidifies the association's emphasis on domestic ranking even though most of us would not agree with 😬 It all depends on the outcome ~

Batra:

 

[zeio]

Chitale's loss to Akasheva is alarming, given Kazakhstan is in Asia and will host WTTC 2027.

USA GS 2026
WS QR2
Sutirtha Mukherjee 2-3 Giorgia Piccolin (15) (-5, -5, 7, 9, -4)
Diya Chitale (8) 2-3 Zauresh Akasheva (9, 5, -10, -6, -9)

 

[Singshasha]

The difference between 51 and 50 is neither here nor there, especially when she has been above 50 for most of the year. Batta is not "whining". She asked for certain information to be sure that this was done in an objective way and not just the whims of a biased individual or selection committee. Batta could very well be above 50 by the end of next month etc. Something similar happened to Matsushima and was why he didn't play the WTTC in 2025 or the Asian Champs in 2024, though he had one other objectively measured opportunity to qualify and his rejection wasn't really a coaches selection issue but that the rsnking spot date was a date when he just happned to fall behind Yoshimura..

Without elaboration, it isn't clear why not playing domestically should be used to penalize Batta when trying to pick the best team. The committee just pointing to that is dereliction of duty IMHO. What would be helpful is for them to point out why it is important for a player to do so when most of their international achievements are what has put India on the map.

Batra has spent 24 weeks out of the past 52 weeks outside 50. As a seasoned professional, I would assumed she would had factored this into her planning.

As I read Indian table tennis news, this is what they are saying:
Since she has fallen short, 50/40/10 applies.
She scored 0 out of 50 for not taking part or getting any points from national competitions by her own doing.
She has 35 out of 40 points for her international ranking.
And assume she scored 10 out of 10, this can only give her a max of 45 points out of 100.

China, Japan, Korea all require players to play national competitions. The biggest difference is probably the weigh on coaches selection in India is very little.

Batra should be able to calculate the other players points, as the rules, national and world ranking is public knowledge.
Or she can always get minister and media attention to get into the squad in expense of another.

 

[NextLevel]

Batra has spent 24 weeks out of the past 52 weeks outside 50. As a seasoned professional, I would assumed she would had factored this into her planning.

As I read Indian table tennis news, this is what they are saying:
Since she has fallen short, 50/40/10 applies.
She scored 0 out of 50 for not taking part or getting any points from national competitions by her own doing.
She has 35 out of 40 points for her international ranking.
And assume she scored 10 out of 10, this can only give her a max of 45 points out of 100.

China, Japan, Korea all require players to play national competitions. The biggest difference is probably the weigh on coaches selection in India is very little.

Batra should be able to calculate the other players points, as the rules, national and world ranking is public knowledge.
Or she can always get minister and media attention to get into the squad in expense of another.

I know this is a debate but none of this other than that she didn't qualify automatically is of any serious relevance. Based on the available information (and not the parts that you plugged in your opinions):

1) She fell short by 1 ranking point for automatic selection, though her average ranking and at many points in the past year her absolute ranking would have qualified.
2) She didn't get in on 50/40/10.
3) And this is the most relevant and important point: there was a vote by a selection committee to select the last player. She was up against Swastika Ghosh and Surtitha Mukherjee for that spot. The selection committee decided that she wasn't the best player for that spot and went with Mukherjee, who led the rankings for that spot. They could have picked Batra so the only thing that happened was that she wasn't automatically selected. But anyone who seriously thinks that India has a better team because Surtitha was selected and not Manika is open to having their own opinions.

She asked, just like anyone else would ask, what was the selection committee looking at when it chose Surtitha over her. This is a very relevant question and regardless of whatever explanation the selection committee gave, it is clear that their priority isn't selecting the best team but fairness to the process. If all the spots were selected on the basis of the criteria that was already established, then your argument would be valid - no need for selection committee discretion. What Batra wanted to understand was what the justification and process was for selecting Surtitha over her. If the selection committee decided to default purely to the ranking defined by the selection process, that is one approach. But then, just select all the spots that way. Batra is not being silly for wanting to understand what drove the coach's decision. Batra could very well have approached the issue differently if the last spot was not up to the discretion of the selection committee.

 

[zeio]

https://x.com/manikabatra_TT/status/2070353428778553701
Added Batra's follow-up post. She argues that there are 9 members on the Selection Committee when there should not be more than 7 members as per the Constitution.

What, 9 members? There are only 6 members (plus the Chairperson and Convenor) listed in the Selection Policy...