Three paddlers from Gujarat will be among eight table tennis players from India presenting the country at World University Games beginning in China next week.
Jaynil Mehta, Namna Jayaswal and Radhapriya Goel have made it to the Indian team for the Games, which are scheduled to start at Chengdu on July 28.
While Mehta and Jayaswal are students of Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University (MKBU) in Bhavnagar, Goel is a student of Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) in Gandhi Nagar. The three have been selected in the India team based on their performance at selection trials conducted at Mohali on June 12 and 13.
It is for the first time that TT players from Gujarat have been selected to represent India at World University Games.
Mehta has been selected for the Indian men’s team, which comprises Mudit Dani, Wesley Do Rosario, Divyansh Srivastava and Jeho Himnakulhpuingheta. Dani is from Mumbai and studies at the New York University. Wesley Do Rosario is a student of Chitkara University in Punjab’s Rajpura while Himnakulhpuingheta is a student of Mizoram University in Aizawal.
On the other hand, the women’s team comprises Jayswal, Goel, Annanya Basak of Chitkara University, Anjali Rohilla of Punjab University and R H Mridula from University of Madras.
Mehta and Jayaswal have represented Gujarat at various national events but World University Games will be their first international event. While Mehta is an athlete of the Sports Authority of Gujarat (SAG), Jayaswal is also a former SAG and SAG’s Centre of Excellence player.
The World University Games are scheduled to start on July 28 and conclude on August 8.