The Captain’s Meet at The Saturday Club. Picture: Anindya Shankar Ray

Remember Ashok Kumar’s Col. Julius Nagendranath Wilfred Singh training Amol Palekar’s Arun in table tennis to win over ladylove Prabha played by Vidya Sinha in Basu Chatterjee’s classic Chhoti Si Baat? That was in the mid-70s and table tennis spelt cool. The fun game that tests your agility big time made it to the Olympics in the 1980s. No longer was it a lunchtime game; table tennis had become competitive. This monsoon, Calcutta’s corporate crowd is ready to serve and smash for six days at The Saturday Club.

Starting July 2, The Telegraph Cup Table Tennis 2013 for Corporates has already seen quite a number of teams signing up and getting into top-spin mode. “When I took over as the club’s sports convener, Sarita (Sat C table tennis captain) and Suyash (an avid table tennis player) Borar were clear that they want a table tennis merchants’ cup to be held in the club. They have been in charge of table tennis here for many years. It is completely their hard work and I am very happy with the amazing response,” smiled Vishal Nayar.

The response has come as a pleasant surprise for husband-wife duo Sarita and Suyash. “We initially thought there might be just eight or 10 teams, but now we have 18!” said Suyash who will turn out for B.M. Birla Heart Research Centre. Their paddle? To try and make The Telegraph Corporate Cup the “biggest corporate tournament” in the country! “There are corporate cups for football, cricket, badminton and there was even cycle polo at one point of time. So why not table tennis?” asked Suyash.

Companies already on board? Cognizant, HSBC, Berger, Goodricke, Idea, GKB, Apeejay Surrendra Group, TCS and... counting.

“Our office sports facilities and our managing director Abhijit Roy encourage us to take up sports. Since the corporate world is always about being busy, sports is a breather for us. In 2011, we won the corporate football, this year we bagged the cricket cup, and now we are aiming for the table tennis crown!” smiled Dibyojyoti Roy of Berger.

t2 says all the best and may the best team win.