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Veteran Indian table tennis player Sharath Kamal Achanta is preparing for his fourth Asian Games, set to be held in Hangzhou, China. The mega event is scheduled to be held between September 23 to October 8.
The 41-year-old trailblazer of the current Indian table tennis circuit is part of the 10-member squad to represent the nation at the 19th edition of the quadrennial event.
Sharath won two medals at the previous Asian Games edition in Jakarta, Indonesia. He was part of the Indian men’s team that bagged the bronze medal, which was India’s first-ever medal in Table Tennis at the Asian Games. He later paired up with Manika Batra to add another bronze in the mixed doubles event.
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Following a phenomenal run at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games last year, Sharath will participate in men’s singles, men’s doubles with Gnanasekaran Sathiyan, and play singles in the men’s team event.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru, Sharath Kamal spoke about the upcoming Asian Games 2023 tournament.
This includes the rigorous training sessions, medal expectations from the Indian contingent, his exclusion from the mixed doubles event, success at Birmingham, and much more.
Excerpts from Sharath Kamal’s exclusive interview with Sportskeeda
Q: There will be expectations from the Indian team for medals after our performance in the 2018 Asian Games. How do you look at this?
Sharath Kamal: Well, that’s not something new to me. Even to get to the semi-final (in the men’s team event) is a herculean task. Last time we beat Japan in the quarter-final and this time we need to give our best, especially against teams like Korea, Taipei, and Japan. All these teams are very well-balanced.
On a good day, we have an outside chance to beat these teams. But there is a lot of alignment that has to happen. All three of us have to be in the best of our shapes and we need to put the pressure on the opponents from the beginning.
Last time, we went there (Jakarta) without these expectations, but this time they will be there. I will try and push this as a positive.
Q: How has the training been for you individually with two continental events being held back to back?
Sharath Kamal: It’s actually quite tough because we are going to play the same opponents within a span of three weeks. You need to peak at a certain point in the same month.
That kind of periodisation is tough but it’s not that we haven’t done it before. In 2018, we finished the Commonwealth Games and within a week’s time, we had the World Championships.
It’s very important that the first one starts in the way you want it to go, so you take a lot of confidence and you are able to ride on the high in the next part.
Q: You and Manika Batra won the bronze in the mixed doubles in the last edition. Isn’t it surprising that we won’t see you in that event this time?
Sharath Kamal: Sathiyan and Manika are also playing quite well. They are ranked quite high. We were never ranked that high in the mixed doubles. They are constantly doing well, so my complete focus will be on the team championship. As I am getting older, I cannot drag multiple heads.
Well, I did that at the Commonwealth Games. It was quite taxing; six matches back-to-back like going in and coming out. That’s quite tough even though I pulled it off at Commonwealth Games, but again to do that at the Asian Games would be quite tough. We are equally responsible this time with different players taking up different responsibilities.
Q: What level of mindset does it take for an athlete to continue the sport when they cross the age of 40?
Sharath Kamal: I think when you cross 30, already there is a change in physiology given the way we are built. You tend to slow down with age, especially post-30s. I could clearly see the difference until 29 the way the body reacted to certain issues.
It gave me clarity on how I need to take care of it in terms of recovery, nutrition, and how I can propel myself to have that explosive strength. Table Tennis has got a lot to do with reflexes, it’s one of the fastest games.
Q: How do you develop your game because you have to compete with your own contingent at the personal best apart from the overseas players?
Sharath Kamal: Against my own contingent, I am not looking at competing against them. The internal competition helps us to raise the benchmark. That’s quite healthy, especially among the boys.
Everybody is pushing each other. Now Harmeet has set the benchmark higher, so now me and Sathiyan will have to get there. And there is Manav and Manush, the younger boys who are pushing in.
So for me to be up against these younger kids, first I need to be physically on the same page as them. Then my experience will help me get better in the due course of time. I am working a lot to be fit.
Q: How has the Birmingham success charged you up mentally and emotionally to push forward?
Sharath Kamal: Well, emotionally, it’s given me a lot of confidence. There is clearly a great understanding of my own self in terms of periodisation. The way I could plan and prepare and get in there.
The plan for the Birmingham game was nearly for eight months, for the Tokyo Olympic games, it was nine months and the Asian Games is nearly 6-7 months.
That is how I am able to prepare and get in well. Of course, there have been tournaments that don’t go as well as I expected, but at the same time, it’s part of the plan where you try and hit your peak.
Birmingham Games gave me the sure-shot full-proof methodology of how I can constantly go ahead.
Q: Why do you feel India needs a full-time overseas coach?
Sharath Kamal: We need a coach … doesn’t matter if it’s overseas or Indian. We need coaches who are full-time and able to (check with the players). Personal coaches will work with their players, but how are we going to develop as individuals?
Let’s say I have my coach, how long do I go? We need to collectively come together, work together, and grow together. That is the main target.
Personal coaches are important for you to work on certain aspects. As an ecosystem to grow…. When the younger players come and train with us, then the cycle is churning champions one after the other.
Q: Where do you think that Indian table tennis saw the upward trajectory?
Sharath Kamal: 2016 Rio Olympic Games, when four of us qualified for singles. First time ever, four players qualified for singles in an Olympic event, and that was the beginning of the rise. And then in 2017, Sathiyan came and broke in and Manika also started doing well.
In 2018, it was a good year for Indian table tennis with 8 medals in the Commonwealth Games and two medals in the Asian Games. That was the time when Indian table tennis took off really well.
Q: How do you see the Asian Games as a stage for the next year’s mega event?
Sharath Kamal: Very much. The first thing is when we are able to get a medal at the Asian Games, then we have a fair chance to get the medal at the Olympic Games.
Q: Any personal accomplishments you are looking at this event?
Sharath Kamal: The singles I would like to make it to the semi-finals which is also quite tough. Last time, I had a fair chance at it but I lost in the last 32 in a deciding game.
Q: Talk to us about the Ma Long game in the Tokyo Olympics.
Sharath Kamal: Basically, I still feel that’s the best quality I have produced, especially against Ma Long. Of course at Birmingham, I played well, but the level I hit in terms of quality, Tokyo was the better one. When I could do it in Tokyo, then it is another three years only (for Paris).
Q: Has the Asian Games getting deferred by a year been a blessing in disguise?
Sharath Kamal: It again depends. If the Asian Games would have happened as per schedule, I would be so high on confidence and for 2023, I could just keep it low-key and just work on Olympic qualifiers. On the other side, the positive is every year we have a major tournament.
We just need to adapt to these situations and take it as it comes because in 2018, we had those two tournaments in the same year and we did exceedingly well both times.
