Bhubaneswar: India’s table tennis duo Syndrela Das and Divyanshi Bhowmick have created history by rising to World No. 1 in the Under-19 Girls’ Doubles category of the World Table Tennis (WTT) Rankings.
The Indian pair now leads the global standings with 3,910 points, ahead of Chinese Taipei’s Wu Jia-En and Wu Ying-Syuan (3,195 points) and France’s Leana Hochart and Nina Guo Zheng (3,170 points) — a proud moment for Indian sport and a testament to the nation’s emerging strength in global table tennis.
Divyanshi’s story is one of passion and perseverance. Her journey began during the 2020 lockdown, when her father set up a table tennis table at home. What started as a casual hobby soon became a serious pursuit. In just five years, she not only climbed to World No. 1 in doubles alongside Syndrela but also made history as the first Indian in 36 years to win a continental singles title — at the 2025 Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships.
Her partner, Syndrela Das, from South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, has been playing the sport for over 12 years. A trainee of the Dhanuka Dhunseri Soumyadeep Poulomi Table Tennis Academy in Kolkata, she balances academics with an ever-growing list of international titles — including the Under-15 Girls’ Singles crown at the WTT Youth Contender in Italy. Together, the pair has captured gold medals at both the WTT Youth Contender in Goa and the WTT Youth Star Contender in Tunis.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee congratulated the young champions in a social media post, saying,
“Heartiest congratulations to Syndrela Das and her partner Divyanshi Bhowmick for becoming World No. 1 in Under-19 Girls’ Doubles! Syndrela’s achievement makes Bengal proud. My best wishes to both for greater glory in the days ahead.”
Their rise reflects a broader surge of Indian juniors on the world stage. Taneesha Kotecha and Sayali Wani are ranked 13th (1,575 points) following strong outings at the Asian Youth Championships and WTT Youth Contender Doha. Suhana Saini and Shriya Anand hold the 22nd position (875 points) after clinching silver at the South Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships. Newly formed pairs such as Suhana Saini–Taneesha Kotecha (31st), Al Lis Gan–Stuti Kashyap (34th), and Kheith Cruz–Vaishnavi Jaiswal (36th) are also steadily making their presence felt.
This collective breakthrough underscores the growing depth, discipline, and determination in Indian table tennis — signaling the arrival of a new generation of champions ready to take on the world.
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