From correspondents in Uttar Pradesh, India, 05:31 PM IST

Players at the Uttar Pradesh Table Tennis Academy (UPTTA) here in Lucknow are learning the skills of the game from a robot.

'The new coach, the robot, is teaching the players about strokes, styles, techniques and drills to make them learn more about the wonderful sport of table tennis,' said Parag Agarwal, a coach with UPTTA.

UPTTA officials said the China made robot, costing about Rs.85,000, was best suited for practice sessions as it acted like a second player of the game, responding to its opponent's backhand and forehand strokes with different styles.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)