Ankur Bhattacharya’s winning streak continues. Bengal’s 17-year-old table tennis player, the country’s number one ranked paddler in the under-19 category and number five in the senior category, won the gold medal in the singles defeating Assam's Priyanuj Bhattacharya in the final and acquired a silver medal in the doubles event. 

It was difficult for Ankur to recollect the number of gold medals only he won so far in January this year. Speaking from Chennai he said, “It should be more than 10 gold medals so far in January only, in total including the singles, doubles, and team events."

Even he was in dilemma when asked whether he had to overcome stiff challenges from any opposition in the under-19 category in recent times. He took time to think and revealed, “You can mention the qualifier against Priyanuj that I lost 0-3. It was a tough match. Then I made the comeback and won the singles title. It was a sweet revenge defeating Priyanuj 4-2 in the final.” 

Now Ankur’s one of the major aims is to improve his ranking in the country’s men’s category through the consistence performance he has been showing in the youth category. 

“I want to bring gold for the country in the Under-19 Asian Championship and the World Championship. I lost to the Chinese paddlers in the last-four stages of these championships. I feel if I can compete with the country’s top senior paddlers it will help me to improve performance in the competitions like Under-19 Asian Championships and World Championships,” explained Ankur. 

In a bid to bring out the best on the board Virat Kohli’s aggressive body language on the field is Ankur’s one of the major encouragements. Ankur divulged that he is one of Kohli’s ardent fans. "I have been following Virat Kohli on social media as well as his attitude, body-language on the field minutely. I try to apply during the matches, especially when I trail behind.” 

Criticism from some quarters of the table tennis fraternity is that Ankur tries to sledge his opposition while playing. But Ankur asserted, “I never try to humiliate my opposition. Rather I shout for myself. I scream to cheer me, to gain the confidence and I do it especially when I trail.”