Somnath Ghosh to make debut ahead of UTT fourth edition

Ghosh will join veterans A. Muralidhara Rao and N. Ravichandran along with seasoned coaches Anshul Garg, Sachin Shetty and Parag Agrawal in the Indian coaches’ line-up.

Published : Apr 14, 2023 15:40 IST , MUMBAI - 1 MIN READ

File Photo: Somnath Ghosh (left) with his protege, Arjuna Award recipient Sreeja Akula.
File Photo: Somnath Ghosh (left) with his protege, Arjuna Award recipient Sreeja Akula. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
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File Photo: Somnath Ghosh (left) with his protege, Arjuna Award recipient Sreeja Akula. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Somnath Ghosh has been a new entrant among the Indian coaches for the fourth edition of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), the franchise table tennis league that’s set to return in July after a three-year hiatus. The coaches’ draft will be held in May.

Ghosh, with Arjuna Award recipient Sreeja Akula as his most famous protege, will thus join veterans A. Muralidhara Rao and N. Ravichandran along with seasoned coaches Anshul Garg, Sachin Shetty and Parag Agrawal in the Indian coaches’ line-up.

The UTT makes an Indian and international coach available to each of the six franchises. A UTT statement confirmed the return of four-time Olympian Elena Timina and former Germany women’s head coach Jorg Bitzigeio to the tournament, scheduled to be played in Pune from July 13 to 30.

The other overseas coaches include Francisco Santos, former Portugal men’s coach, Slobodan Grujic, Vesna Ojstersek and Zoltan Batorfi. While Grujic was the coach of Serbia’s men’s team for two years, Batorfi and Ojstersek have served as women’s team coaches for Hungary and Slovenia, respectively.

“It’s great to see some of the top names in the global table tennis circuit as part of the coaching line-up. We are committed to growing the sport in the country through this league, and playing under some of these masterminds will not only benefit the youngsters but also the experienced paddlers,” said UTT co-promoter Niraj Bajaj.

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