Team India to take part in ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 in December

With experienced campaigners like Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, Harmeet Desai, Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran opting not to play, the season-ending ITTF Mixed Team World Cup will be an opportunity for the next generation of Indian table tennis players to prove their mettle on the international stage.

The ITTF Mixed Team World Cup is in its second edition after the inaugural tournament was also held in Chengdu last year. Hosts China emerged as the champions while India failed to make it past the first stage.

The iconic Sichuan Gymnasium in Chengdu, which hosted the inaugural edition last year, will be the venue for all ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 table tennis matches as well.

This year's ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 format will see 16 countries compete in a three-stage affair which begins with the first stage where the teams have been divided into four groups.

After round-robin matches, the top two from each of the four groups will advance to the second stage, where they will form a single group of eight.

Teams that have faced each other in the first stage won't play each other in stage two but the results from their corresponding match from the first stage will be carried forward to the second round. The remaining teams will face each other once.

After the second stage concludes, the top four teams advance to the semi-finals while the rest will be drawn into placement matches.

Last year's tournament had concluded after the second stage with the table topper winning the title.

India have been drawn in Group 1 for the first stage of the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 with reigning champions and top seeds China, Australia and the United States of America (USA).

Each squad is comprised of four men's players and as many women's players. The team matches will begin with a mixed doubles tie, followed by two singles matches - women's singles first, then men's. If needed, women's and men's doubles matches will be played, with the order of the final two rubbers decided by the captain of the lower-ranked team.

Each rubber, whether singles or doubles, will consist of three games. The first team to win eight games will secure the overall team match victory.

The Chinese team will be the top seed in the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024. Despite missing Olympic champions Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng, the hosts will have world No. 1s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha leading the squad, which also features Lin Shidong and Wang Manyu, both world No. 2s in the world table tennis rankings,.

India are the seventh seed for the tournament.

ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 schedule:

December 1, Sunday:

Stage 1: Round 1 group matches - 8:30 AM onwardsDecember 2, Monday:

Stage 1: Round 2 group matches - 7:30 AM onwardsDecember 3, Tuesday:

Stage 1: Round 3 group matches - 7:30 AM onwardsDecember 4, Wednesday:

Stage 2: Round 1 group matches - 10:30 AM onwards

December 5, Thursday:

Stage 2: Round 2 group matches - 7:30 AM onwardsStage 2: Round 3 group matches - 2:30 PM onwardsDecember 6, Friday:

Stage 2: Round 4 group matches - 10:30 AM onwardsDecember 7, Saturday:

Stage 2: Round 5 group matches - 7:30 AM onwardsStage 2: Round 6 group matches - 2:30 PM onwards

December 8, Sunday:

Stage 3: Semi-finals - 7:30 AM onwardsStage 3: Bronze medal match - 2:30 PM onwardsStage 3: Final - 4:30 PM onwards.

ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 table tennis: Teams and groups:

Group 1: India, China, Australia, USAGroup 2: Japan, Egypt, Germany, PolandGroup 3: Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei, Romania, SingaporeGroup 4: France, Sweden, Hong Kong China, Canada.

ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024 table tennis: Indian squad

Indian team: Jeet Chandra (men), Manush Shah (men), Snehit Suravajjula (men), Manav Thakkar (men), Poymantee Baisya (women), Yashaswini Ghorpade (women), Pritha Vartikar (women), Sayali Wani (women). (ANI)