Mumbai, Oct. 11 -- A year ago from the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Kazakhstan, the Indian contingent walked away with three medals. Two of them came from team events, including a stunning silverware by the women beating Paris Olympics medallists South Korea. As the continental showpiece comes to India one year ahead of the 2026 Asian Games in the form of only team events starting on Saturday in Bhubaneswar, both the hosts' defending bronze medallists wear a "renovated" look, as India's head coach Massimo Costantini termed it. There's no Sharath Kamal (retired), G Sathiyan (personal reasons) and Harmeet Desai from the 2024 men's batch. This bunch features Ankur Bhattacharjee, 18, Payas Jain, 21, and Snehit Suravajjula, 25. The women's team has two new entrants in Yashaswini Ghorpade, 20, and Swastika Ghosh, 22. The constants from 2024 are Manika Batra, Diya Chitale and Sutirtha Mukherjee, who came in as a late replacement for Sreeja Akula (injured shoulder). With the average age of around 22 for men and 24 for women, India will have one of the youngest teams taking on Asian powerhouses. Thus, despite the luxury of directly playing the quarter-finals as reigning medallists (the men will play Hong Kong while the women await their opponents from the group stage), Costantini doesn't know what to expect. "With these shuffled cards, it will be a little bit more unpredictable," India's foreign coach said from Bhubaneswar. "But of course, we are ready, especially to play our best at home." For half of the combined 10-member Indian squads, this will be a new taste of a continental test of this level. "This is an investment for the Asian Games," said Costantini. "We have a young team, but one that is keen to impress. You have to do something special. And this is their opportunity to do something special. If we do well here, we will gain more respect at the Asian Games." The younger look to both the teams reflects a somewhat transitional phase in Indian TT currently. "In a way, it is a transition, but not a complete transition," said Costantini. "I think the players who were the backbone of the Indian team for many years, they will fight more. Because everyone wants to be at the Asian Games." For now, it's the Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar, where leaving a mark will go a long way for the younger faces wearing the India jersey. "I can count on the men. Because they have to get mature, and step on to the next stage of their careers. Players like Manush, Payas, Snehit," said Costantini....