Kolkata, January 10: The young team of West Bengal girls was not up to the mark and missed a podium finish in the ongoing 85th edition of the UTT Inter-State Youth and Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. But their boys’ squad is upbeat to make up for the loss and bring back smiles to the faces of the hosts and into the limelight in the second leg of the championships starting tomorrow.

Led by Ankur Bhattacharjee and support coming from Punit Biswas, Bodhisatwa Chaudhury and Shankhadip Das, the hosts can bank on the team, by far the best among the 32 contestants from states that have entered the fray for the coveted team trophy. However, they cannot be complacent at all.

There are teams like Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra that can upset the applecart, given their strengths. Delhi and Assam are also in the race, and the newest entrant, the National Central of Excellence from Kolkata, is not far behind.

However, UP and Tamil Nadu are the two potential challengers. The West Bengal boys are wary of that because Divyansh Srivastava and Sarth Mishra from UP can change the tide in a fraction. If the UP boys can be calculative and aggressive in their approach, the Tamil Nadu team brings a variety of skill sets to the table. P.B. Abhinand, adjudged as the best youth boy at the Senior Nationals at Panchkula last month and the recipient of the D. Vishwa Trophy, will have to play the lead role. The supporting cast has youth Balamurugan Rajasekaran, Tharun Shanmugam and the left-hander Preyesh Raj. However, Tamil Nadu has to get its combination right.

Karnataka will largely depend on K.J. Akash. He has a perfect foil in Rohith Shankar and Abhinav Murthy. But Varun Kashyap can be a handful on his day. Yet, Maharashtra has one of the best-talented combinations in Jash Modi and Kushal Chopda, around whom Siddhant Deshpande and Saga Kasture will look to play. A peek into the Delhi squad suggests that too much load will be on Aadarsh Om Chhetri, like Assam, relying heavily on Priyanuj Bhattacharyya. The departure of Payas Jain and Yashansh Malik, who have left their teen years behind, could cost Delhi dear. Neighbouring Haryana has a very young team, but pinning hopes on the boys for a medal is foolhardy.

All these make Bengal the strongest contender for the gold, while the other top teams left in the fray will scramble and settle for the lesser medals. The rest of the teams may not be in contention for the medals, but they will not lack in their efforts as they would try and put their best foot forward to make a lasting impression at the Nationals, as most of the boys would not be eligible next season.

The rankings of the best three players are the basis for seeding teams. The team draw will take place in the evening at the venue. Competition Manager N. Ganeshan said the team events will start at 10 a.m. tomorrow with the Under-17 Boys qualification rounds. Ganeshan said A.S. Kler (referee), K.R. Manjunatha (deputy), and about 60 Blue Badge and International, besides the National umpires, will play their roles in the conduct of the championships.