Mumbai: Ankur Bhattacharjee’s presence was a requirement at the Kolkata ThunderBlades’ table. He was their “lucky charm” as the team’s management worked its way through the auction for the seventh season of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT).
Though just 19, Bhattacharjee was among the four players retained by the six teams (each franchise was allowed one retention) competing at the marquee competition. It is not difficult to understand why.
At last year’s edition, he remained unbeaten, living up to the expectation that he is the next big player to emerge from the country. He rose to world No. 2 in juniors in the 2025 season, his last as an U-19 player, led the Indian team to a first-ever silver medal at the World Youth Championships, and won a few youth titles along the way.
This season so far, as he has moved into the senior division, there have been some ups and downs.
“When I used to play in the juniors, I was looking forward to making the jump to seniors,” he told HT. “This year I played a few tournaments which did not go the way I wanted, but I did manage to get a big win.”
That triumph came against world No.27 Chen Yuanyu of China, at the Asian Cup last month.
“A win like that against a Top 30 player gives me a lot of confidence that I too can get to that level one day,” he said. “But I’m not thinking about getting that far at the moment. Maybe in two years I’ll focus on the ranking, but now I’m looking more at what I can improve on – the process of getting to that level.”
Quick across the table and often unpredictable in his mix of spin and placement, Bhattacharjee’s backhand is his strength. It’s powerful, accurate and able to find acute angles.
“Now I’m focusing on my forehand and most importantly, my fitness,” said the teenager who is coached by his father Anshuman at their academy in Guwahati.
Earlier, the training regimen involved technical work from 10 am to 3 pm, followed by two hours of fitness work.
“Now I’m reducing practice at the table to spend more time on fitness with a lot of gym-work,” he explained. “In my junior days, I felt I was good fitness-wise. But in the seniors, I need something to set me apart, so I’m focusing a lot on fitness while also improving my forehand.”
Having put in the work, he has already noticed his improved fitness helping him perform better in matches. And though he isn’t fussed about it much he has started to move up the ranking ladder – from 175 at the start of 2025 to the 109 currently.
While he attended the auction in Mumbai, some of India’s best players are currently in London competing at the World Team Table Tennis Championships.
“I would have wanted to be there too, but there is a reason I wasn’t picked,” he said. “I need to improve to make it to the squad, and I’m working on improving to get to that level.”