UTT title triumph boosts Asian Games preparations, says Manush Shah
PANAJI: India’s leading paddler and U Mumba TT captain Manush Shah believes that the team’s successful Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) campaign has provided the perfect platform to build chemistry and momentum ahead of the Asian Games, where the team events will once again take centre stage.
Fresh from leading U Mumba to a successful title defence against an unbeaten Dempo Goa Challengers in the final, Shah said competing in a franchise league like UTT offers invaluable experience in handling pressure and building team cohesion.
“It is always great to play team events because going into the Asian Games, those will be team events as well. It is good to build that team spirit and momentum. That brings a special feeling. We are really happy we ended on a positive note, and I will be looking forward to the Asian Games team events as well,” said Shah.
The Indian star felt U Mumba’s convincing semi-final victory laid the foundation for their championship-winning performance against the Goa franchise.
“Goa was a very strong team. We knew that from the very beginning of the season, and the way they played was fantastic. Coming into the final, what gave us the boost was the semi-final win against Kolkata. We won very convincingly and that gave us a lot of confidence as a team,” he said.
With very little turnaround time between the semi-final and final, Shah said recovery became the team’s biggest priority.
“The goal was very simple. We wanted to recover as fast as possible from the semi-final. We didn’t have much time to prepare, but defending the championship itself was a huge motivation. I am happy that as captain I could contribute to the team’s success,” he added.
Shah also credited U Mumba’s youthful squad for staying united under pressure, saying the team’s togetherness made the difference during the title clash.
“We were a very youthful team, but together we were much stronger. The mixed doubles proved to be the turning point. The way Anna and I won 3-0 shifted the momentum completely in our favour,” he said.
Despite playing before a partisan Goa crowd that had backed the unbeaten Dempo Goa Challengers throughout the tournament, Shah said his team embraced the atmosphere.
“It is always exciting to play against the crowd. Even in the semi-finals there was a lot of noise, but we knew our team was solid. If we continue to believe in our bench strength and overall support, we are a formidable unit,” he said.
Having successfully defended their UTT crown, Shah now shifts his focus to the international season, with the Asian Games firmly on the horizon as India looks to build on the confidence and camaraderie forged during the country’s premier table tennis league.
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