India will face stiff competition from teams like Singapore and England in the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship here but the host paddlers have the right blend of experience and talent to finish on the podium, feels chief national coach Bhawani Mukherjee.
"We will have to watch out for the teams like Singapore, the current world champions, and England. Our girls have prepared well for the championships and, with a good draw, we can hope to finish on the podium," said Mukherjee.
World no.4 Tianwei Feng will spearhead the Singaporean challenge while England will hope Joanna Parker, ranked 135, to get the team on the podium.
Mukherjee has pinned his hopes on regular stalwarts like K Shamini and Mouma Das with able support from local girl Neha Aggarwal who has been in fine form this season after she took Delhi to team title at the Raipur Nationals early this year.
"The girls have had very good training session in China, playing against their regulars at the centre. This should come in handy to our players. Moreover, Mouma has the experience to handle top-ranked players having been in the semifinals in the last championships in Glasgow, Scotland," he said.
India will be represented by veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal, Soumyajit Ghosh, Anthony Amalraj, Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shetty in the men's section, while Shamini, Mouma, Neha and Madhurika Patkar will be host's bet in the women's category.
