Let the racquet do the talking: Sharath
Rutvick Mehta
MUMBAI: “Has it affected team morale? “I can only tell you after the Commonwealth Games,” Sharath Kamal, usually candid with his words, held it back a touch this time with his laugh.
Sharath was referring to the court cases and selection matters that have engulfed Indian table tennis into a hazy build-up to the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The veteran player —as also the men’s team and his doubles partners G Sathiyan and Sreeja Akula—has been left untouched by the multiple writ petitions by players to enter the squad and the subsequent belated tweak by selectors to replace Diya Chitale with Archana Kamath in women’s team.
But the saga threatens to impact the overall team four years after the country’s paddlers delivered eight medals in a best showing at the 2018 CWG.
Sharath, who won his first CWG gold medal back in 2006 and has only added to his stature and medal count since, couldn’t help but acknowledge “a lot of commotion, a lot of chaos” around the contingent.
“But, personally for me, I’ve tried to stay away from all of it and focus on my game. My place in the team has been quite secure… I also know that if I’m able to deliver my best, the team will do well and I too will have great results,” Sharath said in a media interaction organised by
SAI on Friday. The senior statesman, much like he has been doing for a couple of decades, wants youngsters in the squad to shut out the noise and let their racquet do the talking now.
“I’ve told the younger players that a lot of people will be talking to you about this, a lot of gossip or discussions will be happening on it. But the best thing is to say I’m not interested in it. Because it’s not going to change my life, affect me positively. So, the only thing is to focus on what I do best, and let my racquet do the talking,” Sharath said.
The last CWG in 2018 signalled a watershed moment with eight medals to show and generations to inspire. While Manika Batra was the breakthrough star of it, Sharath was out there still shining bright, winning the singles bronze, men’s doubles silver and team gold.
“There’s a lot of expectations going into this. What we did in Gold Coast (at CWG) precedents every achievement till now. So, the expectations are high, which also means pressure is high,” Sharath, the eight-time CWG medallist, said.
At 39, Sharath knows he isn’t getting any younger. But if last year’s Tokyo Olympics and his eye-to-eye, shot-for-shot battle with Chinese legend Ma Long in it proved, it doesn’t necessarily mean he is slowing down in his game, body or mind.
Since then, Sharath has been selective with his tournaments but effective with the results—a singles quarter-final in the Asian Championships last year, semifinal in the WTT Doha Contender in March and a 10th-time winner of the national title in April. “After so many years, I understand how my body reacts, its requirements and also what my mind needs. Now I’ve come up with a full-proof plan where I’m able to have six weeks of preparation before I go into my periodization zone,” he said.*