“Among the boys, there are three major players that impress me. Ankur, Abhinandh, and Priyanuj. These three I like and I think it will be a very very strong team at the U19 and we can really aim at winning medals at the world championships.”
These were the words of Indian national table tennis coach Massimo Costantini in January earlier this year. The 67-year-old Italian was speaking to Read on the sidelines of the 2025 National Championships in Surat.
Just over ten months later, Costantini’s words have turned prophetic. The three paddlers that he name-dropped in that conversation — Ankur Bhattacharjee, Abhinandh PB and Priyanuj Bhattacharya — all combined to help India to win its first-ever team silver medal at the ITTF World Youth Championships on Tuesday.
Competing in the boys’ U19 team event, the trio, along with Punit Biswas, wrote themselves into history books as they entered the gold medal match to become the first Indian team to reach the final of a world championship in the sport.
The final against Japan didn’t work out as planned, and India had to settle for the silver medal after being swept 0-3.
The team’s run into the final, however, will remain iconic. They were under the pump after Chinese Taipei equalised at 2-2 in the semifinals before Abhinandh registered a 3-0 victory in the final match of the tie to send India through.
The teenager from Tamil Nadu has made a habit of clutching tense moments, having done so in the 2025 UTT Final to guide U Mumba to the title as well.
Ankur, meanwhile, is known for his aggressive antics during matches. Ranked world No. 5 in the U19 rankings, he is already a menace to top players, even in the senior circuit, with wins over multiple higher-ranked players to his name.
Although not as prolific as his counterparts yet, Priyanuj has made a name for himself as one of India’s brightest talents over the last couple of years, thanks to his impressive results in the domestic circuit.
Together, the trio is quite possibly the best generation of paddlers India has ever seen. Costantini, who is in his third stint in India as the coach, having served previously in the 2008-09 and 2016-18 periods, agrees.
He also argues talent alone isn’t enough.
“We need to preserve them, and we need to invest more in creating this environment,” he said.
“Environment means good quality of training, good quality of coaches, good quality of support staff, obviously good planning, good domestic and international planning.
“If we are able to create this, I think we can give a great platform for these upcoming youngsters,” he added.
Indian paddlers have long proved their mettle at the age-group levels; now it’s up to the administration to nurture these talents and turn them into world beaters at the senior level.
