Subhajit, Soumyadip hopeful of big show in China

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Kolkata, Sep 11: The Bengalduo of Subhajit Saha and Soumyadip Roy- probables in the Indian table tennis team- are looking forward for a glam show in the Asian championship in China as a build up for the Olympic qualifiers early next year.

The paddler pair was eagerly waiting for the battle royal.

This year's Arjuna award winner, Saha who will be spearheading the Indian challenge in the singles, said, ''China and South Korea are tough nuts to crack. But a few of the top teams will also try to experiment with their setups before the Olympic qualifiers and that can work in our advantage. Our aim is to reach the quarterfinals, anything more than that would be a bonus.'' Senior pro Roy added, ''It is a very tough competition. Teams like China, South Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei are well ahead of us. And the conditions in China will also be very different and we have to keep a lot of other factors in mind also. But I am always optimistic.'' India came sixth in the last edition at Vietnam two years back.

They went down to powerhouse China 0-3 in the quarterfinals, before losing the fifth place playoff to Japan 2-3 in a closely contested affair. This year's edition will be held in China from September 17-23.

Roy, who plans to upstage a few big names, said, ''We had performed well in Vietnam, but our luck didn't favour us in the Japan match. But this year Achanta Sharath Kamal is in sublime form.

Our rankings have improved considerably and we are confident of pulling an upset or two.

''This tournament will give us vital preparation for the Olympic qualifiers. Most of the top players will be playing here and if we can perform well our confidence will be sky high before the qualifiers. Our ultimate aim is to do well at the Olympics,'' he added.

The duo had mixed fortunes at the recently concluded ranking meet at Kochi. While Saha lost to top seed Sharath Kamal in the final, Roy was knocked out early in the second round. The duo is expected to make it to the team along with Sharath and the troika has worked many a magic in team events.

The Indian team for the meet will be announced in Delhi on September 12 and the team will leave for China on September 15.

UNI