Biggest win of our careers: Manush Shah & Diya Chitale on Asian Games bronze

Before the Asian Games started, not many gave Manush Shah and Diya Chitale a chance of winning a medal for India. While they are ranked World No. 8 in mixed doubles currently, table tennis powerhouses like China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea were in contention too, and their recent form didn’t inspire much confidence. However, Manush and Diya rose to the occasion when it mattered the most, beating the World No. 4 team of Doo Hoi Kem and Wong Chun Ting in the quarterfinals to secure a historic bronze for India. This is only the second time India have won a TT mixed doubles medal at the Asian Games. Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra won bronze in 2018.The duo spoke to us from Japan about their historic feat.‘It doesn’t get bigger than this’Manush: It’s an amazing feeling because we had not managed to do well in really big events so far. So, both of us were very motivated to win the quarterfinals and add to India’s medal tally. It doesn’t get bigger than this; as a team, it’s certainly the biggest win in our careers. I spoke to my family in Vadodara, and they said they are proud of me. Massimo Costantini, our (Team India) head coach, has seen the struggle and played a big role in us staying mentally strong, which helped us a lot. Even when we were not winning, he was always there for us. I dedicate the medal to him. We are staying on a cruise ship for the Asian Games, which is a first for most of us. While there were some issues related to travel, we tried to adapt to the conditions and stay fresh and positive. It helped me stay in a good mental zone and perform well for India.Diya: I am very happy right now because it is our first win in such a big multi-sports event. It’s a very proud feeling and I want to thank my parents and all my coaches for their constant support. Emotionally, it has been a tough time for me because I lost Peter Engel, my coach since 2015, just a few days ago. I owe everything to him and whenever I had any doubts, he was just a phone call away. I wish he was around to see this medal. I dedicate my bronze medal to him.‘We always had self-belief’Manush: Asian Games is one of the toughest challenges in our sport, but once the draw was out, we were expected to reach the quarterfinals. We prepared well for the Hong Kong challenge and knew that we had to take our chances. I am glad we could execute the plans well. Even against the Olympic champions in the semifinals, we fought hard. Although we lost, we learnt a lot. The team event was tough and although we lost against South Korea, all three Gujarati players (Manush, Manav Thakkar and Harmeet Desai) put up a tough fight. I wish we had done better in men’s doubles (Manush and Manav).Diya:Before the start of the Asian Games, while we knew it was going to be a tough challenge, we always had self-belief. While we did not get the desired results as a team in the last couple of months, we knew we had a chance if we played to our potential. While we had lost our previous matches against the World No. 4 team, the last two matches were really close. This time, we played aggressively right from the beginning, fought for every point, and it worked.‘We contribute to each other’s strengths’Manush: Diya’s control is superb, and my power is good, so we complement each other well as a team and contribute to each other’s strengths. We try to play to our strengths and win points as early as possible without going much into the rallies.Diya: Manush and I started playing together as a team in 2023. We have had some amazing results and beaten some top teams so far. He is a very attacking player, and I enjoy playing alongside him. While this is a big win, this is just the beginning. Our biggest dream is to do well for India at the Olympics, but we want to take it one tournament at a time.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.