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Indian table tennis ace Achanta Sharath Kamal has been training extensively as he prepares to slug it out at the Tokyo Olympics 2021 next month. The paddler has been practicing with brother Rajath and a couple of other mates in Chennai and looks to be in fine touch.
Rajath, who has been working alongside the Indian team as an analyst, is helping Sharath Kamal hone his skills. He is confident that his brother will win laurels in Tokyo.
Read: India's greatest table tennis player at the Olympics - Sharath Kamal
In an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, Rajath Kamal said that while the second wave of the pandemic affected Sharath's preparations, the 38-year-old is in good nick before he leaves for the national camp in Sonepat:
“The second wave was harsh on him, from a practice point of view, as the ensuing lockdown meant, we were all confined to our houses. He has been away from the sport for some time now and we are just doing some maintenance training as the situation outside eases up. We will shift to some high-intensity training later.”
Unable to travel to Denmark due to visa issues, Sharath Kamal will be looking to make his time count at the camp. The Indian contingent is also planning to leave for Tokyo early in order to get in a dry run and acclimatize to the conditions.
Watch: Tokyo Olympics-bound Indian paddler Manika Batra practices with Belarusian partner Kiryl Barabanov
Sharath Kamal has good technique
With decades of experience under his belt, it would be a master of an understatement to say that Sharath Kamal knows the nuances of the game well. However, by way of extensive conversations with his brother, Sharath Kamal makes sure his techniques and strategies are well in line with the demands of the sport. “We have always had conversations about his game. As I don’t travel with him much nowadays, it has only been an off-the-table analysis. It will mostly be about minor adjustments in his technique,” Rajath said.
Explaining in detail, Rajath added:
“He was a predominantly a forehand player and post the hamstring injury he suffered in 2015, he had to change his style. Since he was a forehand player, there used to be a lot of movement and that caused wear and tear of his hamstring bone and he got injured. He then recuperated under Ramji Srinivasan from Sports Dynamics in Chennai and the transformation was amazing. He changed to playing his backhand more easily now, is more confident and can attack on both the flanks with ease.”
Watch: Tokyo Olympics-bound G Sathiyan trains with Anirban Ghosh in Chennai
Having an in-house analyst was a shot in the arm for Sharath Kamal. The paddler knows exactly where he has to make changes and it has brought out wonders in his game. Going into some detail about what it was that they focused on the most, Rajath said:
“We worked on some technical aspects of the backhand. It was to start with him by not committing to a shot – be it either a forehand or a backhand. We worked a lot on a neutral position because once you commit to a shot, changing it at the last minute becomes impossible and everything goes downhill once you lose a crucial point.”
Sharath Kamal, according to his brother, is in an excellent frame of mind and in explaining why he is poised to do well at the Tokyo Olympics, Rajath said:
“He has been away from the sport for some time and has got more time to spend with his family and children. This is keeping him occupied and in high spirits. He is also extremely fit now as he gets time to concentrate a lot on fitness. Although we have lost valuable time, I am sure we can make good inroads in Tokyo, both individually and as a team.”
