KUALA LUMPUR: Bleary eyed and tired after arriving in Kuala Lumpur late on Dec 4, the Indian men’s table tennis squad suffered a shock 23 defeat at the hands of unfancied Thailand, in their second team match on Dec 5 the opening day of the weeklong Asian table tennis championships being held here,
The Indian women’s team, however, Kept its slate clean on the first day, with identical three zero victories over Thailand and Yemen in the four team group ‘Q’.
With the Thais and Yemenese having also been beaten by identical margins by the North Korean girls in the four team group league, the match between India and North Korea assumes significance only to decide the group winner. Both sides have already qualified for the quarterfinals, For India, national champion Nivot Roy Shah was a pillar of strength against the gritty Thais, to whom the three zero losing margin did scant justice. After the recent western India winner, Ambika Radhika, had put her side ahead with a hard earned 2118, 1421, 2119 win over Chinda Kewdoknoi, Nivoti Roy Shah looked in some trouble as her concentration lapsed in the second game against Kruewan Pipitham, enabling the Thai girl to draw level. The tall Indian ace, however, stepped up the attack in the decider to run outa 2116, 1721, 2115 victor. It was touch and going the doubles, in which Roy Shah and Radhika were pushed all the way, but just managed to keep their noses in front at the tape. The Indian girls had matters much more to their linking in the tie against Yemen. Fatima Mohammad Naser and Liana Faisal, however, caused no end of trouble to Rakhika and Sejal Shah in the doubles, running away with the first game before the Indians could assert themselves.
The Indians lads had an outing against Thailand which they would rather forget. ‘After winning their opening group*C’ clash against Sri Lanka by a facile three nil margin, the Indians seemed lethargic in the ‘after noon
Moreover, Arun Jyoti Barua, arrived only on Dec 5 morning, after the opening match against the Lankans had been completed.
If the Thais won by the odd match in five, they have to thank their top player, ‘Adul Rinduangdee, The stocky Thai scored a vital three game triumph over India’s most reliable player Kamlesh Mehta, after India had gone one up with Sujay Ghorpade’s 2321, 217 win over Panumas Kriangkraiphet. Kamlesh saved three match points at 1820 and 2021, but could not stave off the inevitable.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 14, 1990
