Achanta Sharath Kamal in action.
PANAJI
The State is playing host to the World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender Goa 2023 which is the biggest tournament of the indoor sport to be staged in the country. Headlining the event amongst the Indian contingent, is the much-decorated men's paddler, Achanta Sharath Kamal.
The 40-year-old veteran from Chennai defies age and his ability to compete among the world's elite was in evidence at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Taleigao on Wednesday.
Playing at the highest level for around two decades is no mean accomplishment, When The Goan asked the record 10-time men's National Champion what keeps him going, the unassuming star Table Tennis player states, "The most important factor that keeps me catching up with the youngsters is if I am able to keep fit and fresh, and have the motivation to go through the daily processes. It is then I am able to do well at the big tournaments. Of course, there is good support from the team. Sathiyan is fantastic. The young guys are able to take me along. At the same time. I am there to take them along. It is a good bonding that we have which is helping me to perform well."
Though Achanta Sharath Kamal and his young compatriot, Gnanasekaran Sathiyan lost their Round of 16 Doubles match at the scoreline 1-3 (6-11, 7-11, 11-7, 8-11), the exhibition dished out by the seasoned campaigner along with his compatriot was one of class and skill which was a joy for a Table Tennis enthusiast to lap up. Interacting with the media after his Doubles match, Sharath Kamal conceded that it was a good match though they ended on the wrong end of a result. "It was a tough match. We have not been playing Doubles together for a long time, with a focus mostly on Mixed Doubles. Because playing three events (Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles) becomes hard. There are also no Doubles in the Asian and Olympic Games as well. Our game though was good and we played really well. But credit to the Korean pair (An Jaehyun and Cho Seungmin), who have been playing regularly, especially Cho who played some amazing shots. Had we put pressure in the beginning, we could have turned it around. I think in the end we played well. It was a good match. Unfortunately, we lost in the fourth set," the star paddler stated.
Sharath opined that the WTT Star Contender Goa 2023 is an almost tougher event compared to the Olympics for the paddlers. "There are more Chinese and Japanese here than in the Olympics. It is going to be hard for India. We will just take one match at a time. As for me, I will try to pull one or two upsets which will be my goal. I will be playing against my teammate (Kirill Gerassimenko of Kazakhstan) in the German League (Singles) later today, so my focus is on that (Kamal went down fighting 8-11, 7-11, 8-11). We (the Indian pair of Sathiyan and Manika Batra)) have a tough Mixed Doubles match as well. We have lost to them twice (the India Mixed Doubles pair won in straight games). I hope we can put on a better show this time."
Not too long ago India created history in Badminton by winning the prestigious Thomas Cup, and Sharath reckons that the big moment for Table Tennis in India is not too far off. "We are getting there. We started to have wins. But I think it is important we have a Gopichand. We had a massive centre even before Badminton made any headway. Without a massive centre for Table Tennis, we have made progress. I think there is a big scope (for Table Tennis in India). It is a very global sport. Europe is also a superpower. We are getting there and in a few years we can definitely see India as a powerhouse in Table Tennis," the celebrated paddler opined.
Hosting a tournament of such magnitude in the country creates an impression and impact on the Table Tennis fraternity in the country which the Indian Table Tennis star subscribes to. "India is a Table Tennis destination now. It is important to have big tournaments here, to have exposure. That is when the facilities get better, and infrastructure is built. Players see this and a lot of players start to play. To have such a big event is a platform. All the top players are here. I would say this is just the beginning for many more things to come. I hope we get better and better from here."
Sharath in replying to a question posed by The Goan revealed that the game has evolved well from the time he started out professionally to the present. "Everything has become more professional now. TT has come a long way in India. We are looking forward to being even better than we are now. Of course, we are still not yet the best in the world, but we are looking to be the best. Hopefully, we will get there in a couple of Olympic years."
Sharath Kamal who has been the flagbearer of Indian Table Tennis for the last two decades has earned a lot of plaudits, accomplishments and awards in the course of an eventful career. But as with every athlete, there is something he yearns to achieve yet. " At the Paris Olympics 2024, I am hopeful for a medal which will be my target," he reveals. As for his biggest accomplishment till date, he reckons it came in the Asiad at Jakarta 2018. "It would probably be at the Asian Games in 2018. It was the first time in 62 years we got a medal in the Mixed Doubles (Bronze along with Manika Batra), and I got a bronze (Men's team)."
