India, April 22 -- Of the three Asian Games medals ever secured by Indian paddlers, two have a doubles stamp on it. Doubles remains Indian table tennis' best bet to leave a mark at bigger events. Going into this year's Asian Games, younger contenders have emerged to follow the path set by Sharath Kamal-Manika Batra (2018) and Sutirtha Mukherjee-Ayhika Mukherjee (2023).

Among them at the top is the mixed doubles combination of Manush Shah and Diya Chitale, a young pairing that has taken solid strides over the past year to rise to world No. 6 in the WTT rankings.

World rankings in doubles can sometimes feel like an illusion, and Indian TT has seen that in the past. It has also seen big-name partnerships, including those with Olympic medal...