Table tennis is often viewed as a relatively ‘young’ sport by most of the masses, but it has gained significant popularity in India in recent times. It has quietly become a crowd favorite not only in schools, colleges and roadside clubs but also in the professional domain. They say it’s one of the fastest games on the planet. It doesn’t look physically demanding, but I can assure you it certainly is.
It’s a matter of great pride for us that there are players from our country who have reached the top level of the sport and made a mark in the global consciousness. These are the players who have enrobed the tricolor and made our nation proud by mastering the art of table tennis professionally, in the process winning several medals & gaining recognition all over the world. Our team got in touch with Achanta Sharath Kamal, the popular table tennis star who’s got a laundry list of achievements next to his name: he won the Gold medal for India at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, received the Arjuna award in 2004 and is the number-one ranked player in the country, a title he has held for the last six years.Say hello to Achanta Sharath Kamal.Akshat@SportsKeeda: To begin with, tell us what you’re up to right now. Any tournaments in the pipeline before the CommonWealth Games (CWG)?Sharath Kamal: At the moment I’m training in Germany in the second-best club in Europe which is called Ochsenhausen with some of the top players of the world. The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) is also planning a lot of activities for the players keeping in mind their preparation requirements for the Games. There are at least 6 Pro tours (World Ranking Tournaments) that are going to be organized by the TTFI and plenty of training sessions have been planned abroad especially in China and Europe.Akshat@SportsKeeda: So how is your preparation for the CWG going on? Any special training?Sharath Kamal: As i told you right now I am in Germany and I’ve been training really hard here. I had also undergone a training session here 2 months ago. For the last 3 years I have been training intensively in different parts of Europe. Apart from that the TTFI has been doing its bit to ensure that we participate in a lot of Pro Tours and also undergo training in China.Akshat@SportsKeeda: What are your performance expectations for the CWG?Sharath Kamal: This is one question I would not like to comment upon as I don’t want to commit to something and raise false expectations. All I can say is that we will try to repeat what we did last time and perform to the best of our abilities. We have really been training very hard for the Games and I hope for the best.Akshat@SportsKeeda: You have been India’s top paddler for almost 6 years in a row. That’s a really impressive feat. How does it feel to represent India at the highest level?Sharath Kamal: It’s really great to be at the top for this long but I am basically aiming for something much higher – a top 20 position in the World Rankings. Only after attaining that goal will I be satisfied with myself.Akshat@SportsKeeda: India is a fast rising force in modern table tennis, with many players such as Soumyadeep Roy, Subhajit Saha, Chetan Baboor, and, of course, yourself making an impact in international competitions. Despite that, there’s only player (you yourself) ranked in the top 100 of the world. Can you tell us why that is so? Do our paddlers lack that certain something that can propel them to the top of the rankings?Sharath Kamal: As you have said India is a fast rising force but we still have a long way to go. How long has it been since the people here have even come to know that table tennis is a sport that is played professionally all over the world? I’d say it’s been around 5 years, possibly a little more but definitely not more than 10 years. One can’t expect things to happen overnight, but you’ll notice that there are a lot of Indian players who are doing well on the world stage especially at the junior level – Sathiyan and Soumjit Ghosh have been beating quite a few top players of the world and they have very good rankings in the junior section of the sport. Things ARE looking up for us at the moment but the process is a long one and we have to go through with it step by step.Akshat@SportsKeeda: Though table tennis is played in almost every educational institute and corporate office in the country, at the professional level it is hard to find sponsors to identify, nurture and manage young talent in the country. Your thoughts on this matter?Sharath Kamal: Yes it is very hard to find private sponsors in India as sport has always been considered as a ‘Co-Curricular’ activity and not as a professional one. The TTFI is doing its best to get some funds flowing into the sport through Government grants and is spending it on the players to enable them to participate in tournaments, undergo training camps and train with foreign coaches.Akshat@SportsKeeda: Table Tennis is quite well-known to the general public. Of late, there has been a lot of talk about TT, especially since players like you started wining Commonwealth Gold Medals and other laurels. But we would all like to know whether you have any suggestions regarding anything that can be done to make the game even more popular in India. Any ideas?Sharath Kamal: The media has a very important role to play for any sport to become popular. Table Tennis must reach the grass root levels of the country. To this end the TTFI has been telecasting every National Championship, Pro Tour or any other international tournament held in India on TV. This is getting a lot of mileage but if we want more people to play it professionally there must be more money in the game and for that we need private sponsors.Akshat@SportsKeeda: What is India’s standing in the world of table tennis now? How are Indian paddlers placed in the world arena?Sharath Kamal: At the moment India is placed 31st in the Men’s and 35th in the Womens Section. Rankings, however, are not the only indication of strength – Indian players have started inspiring quite a bit of fear amongst their opponents as many Indians have been defeating higher-ranked opponents in several recent tournaments.Akshat@SportsKeeda: Let’s talk something about you. Are there any players that you would like to emulate?Sharath Kamal: There are a lot of players in the world that I absolutely love to watch playing but my favorite player is Vladimir Samsonov from Belarus.Akshat@SportsKeeda: How were you first attracted towards Table Tennis? Who inspired you the most to take it up?Sharath Kamal: I’ve had two coaches throughout my life – my father, Srinivasa Rao, and my uncle Muralidhara Rao. These two people would probably have started coaching me even before I was born if they had the chance to! They have trained and conditioned several National Champions through their club. When I was young my father used to take me along with him to the club and I showed a lot of interest in playing Table Tennis right since that time.Akshat@SportsKeeda: You were earlier enrolled with Spanish club San Sebastian in Madrid. How has that experience helped you?Sharath Kamal: Playing in Europe gives a lot of exposure and experience as every week you get to play matches and with every match you are constantly trying to improve. There is a lot of competition which helps you elevate the state and level of your game.Akshat@SportsKeeda: With the speed of the game having increased so dramatically we don’t see players playing very defensively these days. What do you prefer – contemporary play with longer rallies and more loops, or the old-school style consisting of flat strokes and powerful, point-ending smashes?Sharath Kamal: There are still a few defensive players who are doing very well in the world. In India too there is R. Abhisek, a primarily defensive player, who just won the Northern India Championship in Jodhpur. So we can’t really say that there is no future for such players. But since the speed of the game has increased, the number of players playing a defensive style has reduced. I can’t really say which style I prefer personally because it’s difficult to compare two styles from different eras.Akshat@SportsKeeda: Do you see a bright future for TT in India?Sharath Kamal: There is a lot of talent in India and there a lot of youngsters who want to work and train to be the best not only in India but also at the global level. The TTFI is doing its best to help all the players, so i think there is hope for a long list of quality players emerging from the country in the near future, players who will be ranked much higher than me.Akshat@SportsKeeda: Lastly, any tips or pointers for youngsters who want to take up Table Tennis professionally?Sharath Kamal: The simplest and most useful piece of advice I can give anyone is: aim high and work ward towards your goals.Akshat@SportsKeeda: Thank you very much. It has been an honour to interview such a remarkable and dedicated player like you. My fellow Keedas and I wish you a great year and career ahead.Sharath Kamal: Thanks a lot.
Edited by Musab Abid
