'Level of game will go down'

Ever since the Home Ministry allowed the resumption of sporting activities in the country last month, opinions have been divided amongst elite athletes.

While some were glad to finally step out of their homes and resume training, there are some who feel there’s no hurry to hit the ground running. Ace table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal belongs to the latter category.

The 37-year-old Chennai resident twice declined an offer from the Table Tennis Federation of India to attend a national training camp. “At this point in time, there is no necessity to have a training camp because I doubt there will be any tournament until September or October,” Sharath tells DH. “At least until July 31, all events have been either postponed or cancelled. They hope to resume in August but I doubt that will happen. We don’t need to put ourselves in (needless) risk just to go for a training camp without going in for tournaments. That is something you have to consider going. It’s not safe at all at this moment.”

Sharath felt health and safety of players should be given prominence now, especially with cases rising exponentially with every passing day. “I don’t know whether it will subside. We have to wait until the number of cases plateau. The situation is not under control. Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai are totally out of control. It’s complete chaos out here (in Chennai). We need to be patient until things come under control.”

The coronavirus has not only made lives difficult for the common man but has turned the world upside down for athletes too. Sporting events have been cancelled in droves, and while football is slowly springing back to life in some European and Asian nations, the future is still bleak for table tennis with no date set for the return of competitive action.

While the inability to travel in the near future to Europe — where Sharath normally trains and competes — rankles him considering he is in the twilight of his career, he’s more concerned about the level of his game dropping down.

“It’s difficult for any athlete because you are out of competition, you’re out of training, your mind is not at its best. You are not thinking about the sport at this point in time, you are not thinking about table tennis. The negativity and anxiety that’s generally there in society. I think with these thought process the level of the game is going to go down. What we worked to get to a certain level over the last six months or one year, we’ll be losing out on that and have to start afresh.”

Next month Sharath will be turning 38 but his energy and passion to the game burns as bright as ever. When probed about retirement thoughts, Sharath feels he still has a lot more to offer. “I’ve been playing for India for the last 17-18 years now. I don’t know, I’ve just set higher goals from every juncture. After my 2015 injury, I still haven’t given up. The most important thing is the hunger in the belly to do well in the sport and win more and more laurels for the country.

“As long as my mind and body and my wife accept (I will continue playing). Family is growing, we have two kids, they also need attention. At the same time, I also need physical motivation. There have been always a few things I’ve been wanting to achieve and I’ve been fortunate enough to have accomplished a few. In 2018 we won the first Asian Games medal in 60 years, that really gave me a shot at aspiring to win an Olympic medal. If I can win that Olympic medal (next year), I’ll be really happy.

“That’s something every sportsperson will want to do. I really haven’t thought till when I will play. The day I feel I’m not motivated enough, I'll have other priorities in life,” he said.

Indian table tennis has seen a surge in the last few years. At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, the men’s team comprising Sharath, G Sathiyan and Anthony Amalraj clinched a historic maiden team bronze for the country.

At the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in the same year, a young Manika Batra claimed two gold medal while the India team bagged a total of eight medals. Sharath, who played the lead act in table tennis’ rise in the country, felt the future is good hands.

“I think we’ve improved in the last four years. We’ve improved as a group. A lot of talent is there in India," he said.

"We always had the talent, just that we did not have the right training and exposure. Thanks to TTFI and SAI who gave us the platform with the right amount of training and exposure for players to perform at the international level, we are able to achieve all this. Many people at this point of time know Manika Batra and Sathiyan but in the near future, there will be many more players.

"There are so many talented players like Manav Thakkar, who is currently World No 1 in U-21 section, Archana Kamath from Bangalore, she’s been doing fantastic, one of the youngest national champions we’ve had. TT is on the rise and I hope we keep improving from here," he concluded.