Diya Chitale has been at the forefront of Dabang Delhi TT’s campaign in the sixth season of the UTT.
| Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR

She was crowned the women’s National champion in January. It was followed by her breaking into the top-100 world ranking. Still, when it came to Ultimate Table Tennis, the franchise-based league, the diminutive paddler had a lot to prove.

Diya Chitale entered the sixth edition having fetched the highest price for an Indian (albeit in terms of tokens since the UTT auction did not involve money). And in two of Dabang Delhi TT’s three matches so far, she has found herself with her back against the wall. On Friday night, with her team trailing 7-5 against Kolkata ThunderBlades.

To help Dabang Delhi maintain its winning run and steer clear at the top of the points tally, Diya had to win all three games against UTT debutant Ananya Chande. After winning the first two comfortably, Diya found herself trailing 7-3 in the last game. Even as the ThunderBlades’ cheering army was at its loudest, she won eight points on the bounce to tick all the boxes for herself and her team.

While taking a jibe at the opposition fans “for egging me on with the drum rolls” at the post-match presentation , Diya admitted to The Hindu that she found her mojo after losing last season’s opening match against U Mumba TT’s Sutirtha Mukherjee.

“In the first season, I didn’t win a single match and also last season, I ended up losing 0-3 in the first match,” Diya said.

“After that, I started backing myself a little more and honestly, started to enjoy this atmosphere. It’s not everyday that we get a chance to play in such a format and such a kind of atmosphere, so I started to believe in myself and started to just soak it in. To play on just one table, with so many people watching and the music blaring, it’s great to revel in rather than buckle under pressure.”

If Diya can maintain her spotless record in the last rubber of the tie – having won both the fifth rubbers she has featured in this season, Dabang Delhi will certainly aspire to regain the title after seven years.