Next generation of Indian paddlers earn their spurs

Poulumi Ghatak had kind words for the young champion. “Manika is a huge talent,and will surely be a great asset to the Indian team. However it is important for her to be consistent.”

Divya Deshpande who plays for ONGC and is a part of India’s Olympic Qualifyers squad,said that playing this tournament was really helpful for her developement. “We begin the India camp in Patiala next week and this tournament was a very good starting point as we got to play the best players.”

In the mens draw,ace paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal won the title,prevailing over Anthony Amalraj in the final. After winning the title,Sharath praised the youngsters who are a part of the Olympic qualifyers squad. “These young guys are just getting better and better,they are fast and very talented. I am sure India has a very bright future as far as table tennis is concerned. Guys like Soumyajit (Ghosh) and G Sathiyan have shown a huge amount of promise,” he said.

Soumyajit Ghosh with an India ranking of five,gives himself a realistic chance of turning out for India in the Olympic qualifyers. “My form is good,I am playing well and today’s performance against Sharath Kamal has given me a lot of confidence.” said Ghosh speaking after a closely contested semi-final against eventual champion Achanta Sharath Kamal.

Ghosh also said how playing a lot of tournaments last year helped him develope his skills and tactics. “I spent two months in Sweden with Peter Karlsson and that has really helped my game a lot.” Ghosh said that tournaments like the PSPB tournament are great for interacting with senior,established players like Amalraj,Soumyadeep Roy and Sharath Kamal. “Interacting and practicing with the seniors is always a very good thing,the seniors have given me a number of tips which have really improved my game.”

Sandeep Gupta,a national coach at the Table Tennis Federation of India,said: “The future of Indian table tennis is very bright,there are a lot of talented boys and girls and it is up to them to remain consistent and play well.” Gupta said that he too was confident that India would qualify for the Olympics. “I hope to see some of these youngsters make a mark on the international stage,they have the potential and they should grab the opportunity,” he said.