India, Sept. 22 -- Without the points against Singapore, reckoned Indian TT's foreign coach Massimo Costantini, the win against Thailand wouldn't have happened. And without the win against Thailand, the match against North Korea wouldn't have happened.

The Indian women's table tennis team's run was halted there, in the quarter-finals, one step short of a medal on Tuesday. North Korea, always a mysterious element on the table in multi-sport events, proved too strong for India in their 3-0 sweep on Tuesday evening.

The women's squad, without its current No.1 Manika Batra who wasn't selected, ought to be disappointed having come that far and fizzled out without a fight. Because fight it did against Singapore in the group tie and Thailand e...