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India have made significant progress in sports other than cricket over the last few years, and one of the sports has been table tennis. The likes of Achanta Sharath Kamal, Anthony Amalraj, and Manika Batra have diverted table tennis fans' attention towards India with their excellent performances.
21-year-old Mudit Dani once gained a place in the Top 10 of the junior rankings, and he is aiming to make it big at the senior level now.
In an exclusive chat with Indranil Basu on Sportskeeda's Facebook page, Mudit Dani spoke about how the foreign paddlers perceive the Indian table tennis stars. Dani, who won a bronze medal at the 2019 US Open in the doubles category, said that the overseas players now have great respect for India's paddlers.
Mudit Dani says that foreign players highly respect Indian table tennis players
While 38-year-old veteran Sharath Kamal has been a part of multiple Olympic events, Manika Batra performed phenomenally at the 2018 Commonwealth Games as she won four medals.
Manika Batra had the highest medal tally among the Indian athletes on the Gold Coast. The 25-year-old female player also won the bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games along with Sharath Kamal in the mixed doubles category.
When asked about how the foreign players perceive Indian paddlers, Mudit Dani replied:
"I think the Indian players are highly respected. In the men, we are in the top 10 of the rankings now. We were outside 20 about six or seven years ago. Obviously, that meteoric rise and even in the girls, having Manika Batra, having many other players coming through the ranks. They obviously think of us as a competitor, as someone who can beat them, whoever it might be, anyone from the European or Asian countries."
Mudit Dani mentioned that his opponents have always respected him. In his view, they like the Indian paddlers' playing style because the latter are not physically imposing.
Lastly, he said that the overseas players try to learn the Indian paddlers' tactics and vice-versa, and labelled the entire thing as a learning process.
