Table tennis: Sathiyan-Harmeet pair targets Commonwealth Games 

With the Commonwealth Games on the horizon, Indian paddler Sathiyan has teamed up with Harmeet Desai, while Sharath Kamal has paired up with Manav Thakkar, at the WTT Contender in Tunis.

The new pairing of Sathiyan and Harmeet triumphed in their first tournament in Tunis. However, Sharath and Manav went down to Nandor Ecseki and Adam Szudi of Hungary in four games in the quarter-finals of the WTT Contender.

Incidentally, the pairs of Sharath Kamal-Sathiyan and Harmeet-Manav Thakkar had each won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships, in Doha, Qatar, a couple of months ago.

Read: Familiarity helps Sathiyan, Harmeet ace WTT Contender

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Sathiyan divulged details about the swap. He said:

"We are going to try different combinations and see how we can adapt. It's all done keeping the Commonwealth Games in mind. It is one of the landmark tournaments and we need to have our best pairing there."

Sathiyan added that changes have also been made keeping in mind the singles category:

"We (Sharath and I) cannot play doubles together as the focus will also be on the singles tie. We have to strike a balance between doubles and singles, going into the Commonwealth Games."

Sathiyan said he would, in all probability, pair up with Harmeet at the upcoming Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held in Birmingham next year.

"This doubles pairing is going to continue for the future. We (Sathiyan and Harmeet) will be playing in more Pro-Tours. I think this is going to be good for us. We have tried different combinations and seen where we can adapt. The more we play, the better it is for us."

Sathiyan to skip doubles now

Sathiyan, the second-best Indian paddler behind Sharath Kamal, said he will focus on playing singles in the upcoming tournaments in Slovenia.

"I will not be playing the doubles category in the next couple of tournaments. We don't want to be worn out, especially with the World Championships approaching. Playing three events - singles, doubles and mixed doubles - does take a toll on your body. The quality and the intensity is very high, right from the first match. We have to be prepared for the flagship tournaments and be in a good nick."