Manika Batra has taken her fight over Asian Games non-selection public, accusing the Table Tennis Federation of India of violating its own constitution in the selection process — and saying the battle has left her drained.

The 31-year-old, one of Indian table tennis's most decorated players, was named only as a reserve in the 10-member contingent announced for the Asian Games, scheduled from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. In an emotional post on X, Batra said the selection committee that decided her fate had nine members — two more than what the TTFI Constitution allows.

"TTFI, in its response to me, has stated that the entire selection process was conducted strictly in accordance with the rules. However, the documents available with me show that a 9-member Selection Committee decided the Asian Games team, while Article 24(C)(j) of the TTFI Constitution states that no Sub-Committee can have more than 7 members," she wrote.

The implication was direct: if the committee itself was constitutionally invalid, so was its decision. Batra said she would leave the public to draw its own conclusions, "especially those who have repeatedly said that rules must be respected and followed equally by everyone."

But even as she made the constitutional argument, she also signalled she was stepping back from the fight — at least for now. "I am mentally exhausted from this fight, and for now, I am putting my sword down," she wrote. Currently representing India at a tournament, she said her focus would shift entirely to competition. She wished the selected team well and signed off with "Jai Hind."

This is not the first time Batra has raised her voice over this selection. After the squad was announced, she had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, saying no specific reason had been communicated to her for being left out. She also flagged what she described as inconsistency — that different thresholds and criteria appeared to have been applied to her case compared to the previous Asian Games selection cycle.

The 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist has been one of India's most prominent table tennis players over the past decade, and her exclusion from the main squad rather than just reserve status has drawn attention and sympathy from large sections of the sporting community.

TTFI has maintained that the selection was conducted strictly within the rules. The federation has not publicly responded to Batra's specific constitutional claim about the nine-member committee.

The selection controversy adds to a broader pattern of governance disputes that have periodically surfaced in Indian sports federations, where athletes have struggled to get clear answers on selection criteria and procedural compliance.