Sharath leads India at World table tennis

NEW DELHI: Achanta Sharath Kamal will once again lead India’s challenge in the World Table Tennis Championships to be held in Dusseldorf from May 29 to June 5.

Since the championships are all about individual performances, the Indian members will have to try hard to make an impression in the eight-day event.

Besides 53-ranked Kamal, the other male members of the squad include Soumyajit Ghosh (83), G. Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai (95) while the women players are Madhurika Patkar, the reigning national champion, Manika Batra (103), Mouma Das and Ayhika Mukherjee, the rookie, who will make her maiden world championships appearance.

EIGHT-MEMBER SQUAD

Kamal, the top-ranked Indian in the world will have to shoulder most of the burden of the eightmember squad, comprising four men and women paddlers, besides his own fans’ expectations at home.

In the previous edition two years ago in Suzhou (China), the Indian spearhead was in a roaring form before pulling himself out in the third round because of a hip injury.

For the 34-year-old Indian, who could probably be playing his last world championships (individuals), the event in Germany presents a good opportunity to make a real good impression and he would try all tricks in his bags to achieve glory.