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Young paddler Sreeja Akula says that playing with Achanta Sharath Kamal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham was a great experience. The young table tennis player and her veteran teammate paired up in the mixed doubles category and won the gold medal at the recently concluded event.
Their gold medal-winning performance is now etched in the annals of India's table tennis history. It was India's first-ever mixed doubles table tennis gold at the Commonwealth Games.
The young Hyderabad-based paddler didn't have the same luck in the singles event as she narrowly lost the bronze medal match after a nerve-wrecking seven-game contest.
However, what stood out in a wonderful campaign was Sreeja's growth through her partnership with Sharath Kamal. Having seen the veteran as a role model in the sport, partnering him (in mixed doubles) and winning the gold with him was a transformative experience for Sreeja.
Sharath took the first step in laying the foundation of a successful partnership by making Sreeja understand that both players are equally important. His sessions with Sreeja in Hyderabad and Chennai before the Commonwealth Games emphasized the approach she should take in each and every game.
In an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda, Sreeja Akula said Sharath's ability to break things down and explain it to her clearly was a great learning experience.
"It was a great experience playing with Sharath anna. He never made me feel that he is a senior player and I am a junior. He helped me understand the game, the plans and strategies from my age-group point of view. It was great for him to have stepped down to my level to make me understand and make me comfortable."
Origins of Sreeja Akula's pairing with Achantha Sharath Kamal?
After their success at the Commonwealth Games, it is worth asking: How did the Sharath Kamal-Sreeja Akula partnership form? Sreeja gave an insight into the process.
"My coach Somnath Ghosh is a good friend of Sharath anna. My coach requested Sharath anna to partner with me in mixed doubles. He immediately agreed and then informed the decision to the selection committee."
In an earlier conversation with Sportskeeda, Sharath Kamal had explained how Sreeja's style of playing complement his own methods. He had foreseen the good results for the duo in this interaction before the Commonwealth Games.
"She has a fantastic game style that suits me. She can also take charge at the table while I can take some distance from the table. So, it complements us very well. She has got a fantastic attacking game, which also suits me."
Read: Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sreeja Akula out to forge a winning partnership at CWG 2022
The paddlers spent a lot of time fine-tuning their game and understanding each other's style well. While Sharath Kamal flew to Hyderabad a couple of times, Sreeja also went to Chennai to train with Sharath. He added:
"I went to Hyderabad to train with her and last week she came to Chennai to prepare for a few days. We have had some good sessions where we have been able to understand and coordinate between each other.
"We also got to know how to play in different game situations. We have had some clear understanding of what has to be done."
What was Sreeja Akula's biggest takeaway from CWG 2022?
As the Commonwealth Games inched towards the business end, Sreeja Akula found herself playing closely-fought matches. The rallies got longer and cumbersome as the players matched shot-to-shot, giving nothing away.
Sreeja said the way she handled the pressure was her biggest takeaway from the quadrennial event.
"CWG was a great learning experience. I learned how to handle pressure. It was a surprise for me to see how I handled tough and close situations. I learned how to play to the situation rather than playing for the points or the scoreboard."
She threw light on how sessions with sports psychologist Gayatri Varthak also helped her and the team.
"I have been working with Gayatri Vartak ma'am for about eight to nine months now. The mental training sessions have helped me a lot on how to handle pressure. The breathing exercises and visualization techniques have made me a better person mentally."
With CWG 2022 behind her, Sreeja Akula knows that her achievements have set a huge benchmark for the future. She has her plans chalked out and stated that her goal is to improve her ranking and qualify for the Asian Games and the Olympics.
"My immediate target is to break into the top-50 in the world and then qualify and win a medal at the Asian Games and the Paris Olympics."
All of India would be hoping that she not only achieves her goal but goes beyond it. The success in Birmingham might prove to be the start of an even more successful phase of her career.
