India’s leading men’s doubles table tennis combination, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah, will head to the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya carrying something they did not have at the previous edition: the standing of an established top-three pair in the world.
Currently ranked World No. 3, the Gujarat duo have moved steadily into the sport’s elite since reuniting as a regular doubles partnership in 2023. Their progress included a historic climb to World No. 2 in July 2026, the highest senior world ranking achieved by an Indian table tennis player or pair.
For Thakkar and Shah, however, the more important test will come at the Asian Games. Three years after falling one match short of a medal in Hangzhou, they return with stronger results behind them and greater experience against leading international combinations.
A Partnership Years in the Making
Thakkar and Shah’s understanding did not develop overnight.
The two players are from Gujarat and have known each other since their junior years. They joined India’s under-16 setup in 2013 and later won bronze together at the 2018 Asian Junior Championships.
Their careers subsequently took them through different stages of senior competition before they resumed playing regularly as a doubles team in 2023.
The reunion produced an encouraging result almost immediately. At the WTT Contender Tunis, their first senior tournament together, they reached the semi-finals.
Their contrasting styles also offer a practical advantage. Thakkar is a right-handed player with a strong counter-attacking game, while Shah attacks left-handed. That right-left combination can create difficult angles and smoother movement patterns in doubles, where players must alternate shots.
Years of familiarity have helped them turn those technical differences into a functioning partnership.
From Contenders to the World’s Top Three
Their international results have since pushed them much further up the rankings.
Thakkar and Shah won the WTT Contender Lagos title and reached the quarter-finals of the United States Smash, building the consistency needed to establish themselves among the world’s leading pairs.
At the US Smash, they also recorded a significant 3-1 victory over Japan’s Shunsuke Togami and Sora Matsushima.
The accumulated results carried them to World No. 2 in July 2026, setting a new benchmark for Indian table tennis at senior level.
They have since moved to No. 3, but the broader picture has not changed: India now has a men’s doubles team operating near the top of the international rankings heading into one of the most demanding competitions on the continental calendar.
Hangzhou Defeat Still Shapes Their Asian Games Story
Their previous Asian Games campaign provides an important measure of how far they have come.
At Hangzhou, Thakkar and Shah advanced to the men’s doubles quarter-finals, putting themselves one victory away from a medal. Waiting there were South Korea’s Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon, then the World No. 1 combination.
The Indians pushed the Koreans through five games before losing 2-3.
It was a narrow defeat, but also evidence that they could compete with the best pairs in Asia even before their subsequent rise in the world rankings.
They will arrive in Aichi-Nagoya with that experience behind them rather than facing the pressures of the Asian Games for the first time.
Ranking Brings Opportunity, Not Guarantees
Being World No. 3 changes expectations, but it does not make the route to the podium straightforward.
Asian table tennis remains exceptionally strong. China, Japan and South Korea have deep pools of internationally accomplished players, and knockout competition leaves little room for an off day.
Thakkar and Shah’s ranking nevertheless gives India a credible medal prospect. Their progress has been built across multiple international tournaments rather than resting on one exceptional performance, while victories against high-level opposition have shown that they can compete beyond the domestic and regional circuits.
The challenge now is to reproduce that standard when the stakes are highest.
A Different Position Heading Into Aichi-Nagoya
The circumstances surrounding this Asian Games campaign are notably different from Hangzhou.
Then, Thakkar and Shah came close to breaking onto the podium. Now they arrive having reached World No. 2 and with the experience of playing regularly against leading international combinations.
Their development also gives Indian table tennis another route to success at major competitions. Singles events often attract the greatest attention, but a stable doubles partnership can create a separate medal opportunity, particularly when the players have spent years developing an understanding of each other’s game.
For Thakkar and Shah, the next step is clear. Their ranking has already established them among the world's leading men's doubles teams. A medal in Aichi-Nagoya would turn that progress into a result on one of Asian sport’s biggest stages.
