Exclusive: I would like to bring gold from there for India, says table tennis sensation Ankur Bhattacharjee

Indian Table Tennis has seen a meteoric rise in the last few years as players have made the nation proud in multiple international tournaments. One of the rising stars for India in recent years has been 19-year-old Ankur Bhattacharjee who has hit the ground running, shining in several national and international tournaments. Ankur spoke exclusively with WION and reflected on his journey and assured him he would like to bring home gold for India in the big events.

Ankur speaks exclusively to WION

Born in West Bengal, Ankur is currently representing Kolkata ThunderBlades in the ongoing Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) where he has showcased his talent. Now ranked second in India, Ankur has seen rapid growth in his ranking as he entered the top 200 and now aims for a spot in the top 100. During his journey, he recorded big wins against international stars like Lilian Bardet (France) and Andreas Slavenko (Austria).

Where did your journey with table tennis start?

I started table tennis in 2015. My parents are both players, so my mom started Table Tennis for me, so I liked it a lot. I used to like cricket a lot, so when I played Table Tennis for the first time, I kept 17 balls on the table, so I had the same test after that. This prompted me to start my journey in table tennis.

What was the turning point in your table tennis journey?

I defeated two top 20 players in the Singapore Smash Mains in 2023, so that was my turning point for me. To come to the mains as a senior and to do that was something exceptional for me. So when I defeated Lilian Bardet, it was a very good experience, something I am going to treasure for the rest of my career. It also helped me lift my confidence which has seen me rise to second in the rankings.

With fame comes responsibility and as an athlete your dream has to be to win something with the nation, so what are your thoughts?

I just played in the Senior World Championship, so now I will go to play in the Asian Championship, I would like to bring gold from there for India. Having started the year with a world ranking of 400, I am now in 140, so I am doing a lot of hard work, I practice eight hours a day, I play in my own academy, my personal coach is Angshuman Bhattacharjee, my father. So I understand the weight of expectations and will give my best whenever I am representing the nation.