Ankur Bhattacharya’s career is going to have a big take-off. The 16-year-old table tennis player made a debut in Nepal foreign league held from 5th to 9th December and unbeaten Ankur guided his club AVM to clinch the title. 

According to the contract with the paddler, India’s number one junior paddler received Rs 1 lakh while his team won Rs 2 lakh prize money for being the champion. 

The team comprised 12 paddlers. A couple of paddlers from India also participated in the League including Koushani Nath and Sagarika Mukherjee from Bengal. 

Now with a title in the Nepal League, Ankur has already signed a Spanish premier team for the next two years. Ankur who is now in Chandigarh to participate in the senior national championship divulged, "It is a great opportunity for me to develop the standard of my game. I will get the opportunity to play and train with top Spanish paddlers under the guidance of a German coach.”

The League is the top-tier league and Ankur will take part in its lower division initially and after a year he can make a jump, getting promoted to the Premium division of this third-tier league which is the highest level.

Now Ankur will have to go to Spain to play matches only on Saturday and Sunday and that is expected to start next month. Ankur’s father and his coach, Angshuman Bhattacharya commented on the issue, “Ankur was selected by a Spanish coach following his impressive performance in the recently-concluded junior World Championship held in Slovenia recently. Playing in the Spanish league is expected to improve his game more."

In a bid to strengthen the adoptability of the Chinese style of game Ankur has changed the plate of his bat, named Ma Long-W968. This plate is dedicated to legendary Chinese paddler Ma Long as he used this plate which cost nearly Rs 50 thousand. 

Ankur has earned 15th seeding in the forthcoming senior national championship to be held in Chandigarh.