Yashansh revels in Patriots’ pink jersey

Yashansh Malik’s defeat of G. Sathiyan proved crucial for Jaipur Patriots in the win over Dabang Delhi TTC in the UTT semifinal.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In the Ultimate Table Tennis season-opener between Dabang Delhi TTC and Jaipur Patriots – on the last day of May – the Delhi outfit had emerged victorious with an overwhelming margin of 11-4. Cut to Friday night and the Patriots not only settled the scores with the last year’s finalist – and the only team to make it to the knockouts in each of UTT’s six seasons – but also turned around its own fortunes after a disastrous debut season in 2024.

No doubt Sreeja Akula will be credited for edging past Diya Chitale in an edge-of-the seat deciding match between the top two Indian paddlers, but it was Yashansh Malik – the lanky paddler from Delhi – who ensured the tie remained alive and Sreeja could afford to lose a game against Diya.

Had it not been for Yashansh continuing his winning streak against seasoned G. Sathiyan, the decider may not have been enforced. When Yashansh – who had to warm the bench in the season-opener, took to the table, Dabang Delhi was leading 5-4. Captain Sathiyan – despite having lost the two last face-offs against Yashansh – was expected to take Delhi to safety.

“I watched the last match and decided to try out something different this time around. Today’s was a crazy match, I am glad it went our way,” Yashansh said after the match.

In the team championship battle between the duo at the National Championship in Surat in January, Yashansh had proven to be too quick for Sathiyan, getting past his rival’s defence at will. On Friday, while the defensive wall of Sathiyan was at its best, Yashansh, the youngster, changed his strategy midway through the match.

Instead of trying to take chances with powerful winners, Yashansh slowed the game down in the second game and surprised Sathiyan. The fact that Yashansh wiped out a 10-7 deficit in the first and 7-4 in the second to win both the games underlines that he was the more consistent of the two on the day.

It will be interesting to see if the Patriots’ stick with Yashansh as the Indian men’s singles player over the bespectacled Jeet Chandra.