After Melbourne dream run, TT stars brace for wake-up call

Never before has an Indian table tennis team left for a world meet with so much confidence. Even if the tournament may be a reality check of sorts after the team8217;s stupendous show at the Commonwealth Games8212;gold in team, gold for Sharath Kamal.

Never before has an Indian table tennis team left for a world meet with so much confidence. Even if the tournament may be a reality check of sorts after the team8217;s stupendous show at the Commonwealth Games8212;gold in team, gold for Sharath Kamal.

Now, Kamal, Soumyadeep Roy and Subhajit Saha say they will make it to the elite group in the World Team Championships in Bremen from April 24 to May 28212;the team left tonight.

What has prompted this sudden spurt of optimism? It began in Kuala Lumpur two years ago when Indian men won the gold in both the team and individual events and Kamal burst into the international arena8212;French coach Hubert Hustache was in charge.

Even the Table Tennis Federation of India TTFI, which booted out the Frenchman last year, credits him with changing the fortunes of India. 8216;8216;Hustache may have had attitude problems, but he was no doubt technically the best coach we8217;ve ever had. He changed the face of Indian table tennis. He would have stayed but for his problems with the players,8217;8217; says M C Chowhan, general secretary, TTFI.

Hustache had problems, particularly with India No. 2 Roy, but Kamal still takes tips from him over e-mail, despite the presence of current Swedish coach Benone Cristian Grigore. 8216;8216;Hustache has given a new dimension to our game by improving our third-ball attack and now we can really hope to match the best,8217;8217; Kamal said.

The good thing about Grigore is that he hasn8217;t tried to meddle with the technique of the players, already strengthened by Hustache. Instead, he has concentrated on their mental skills as the results showed in Melbourne. 8220;We won several close encounters on way to the team championship gold and then during the individual championships, I held my nerve in the final. This mental toughness is something the Swedish coach has instilled in us,8221; Kamal said.

According to eight-time national champion and national coach Kamlesh Mehta, Kamal, Roy and Saha 8216;8216;have it in them to take India among the top-16 nations of the world8217;8217;.

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Last time, the men8217;s team finished 27th, two slots below the cut-off for the elite group for the next edition. Beating the likes of the US, Singapore, Bulgaria, Finland and Turkey shouldn8217;t be a problem, feel the players, after which they meet the three top teams from the other groups.

The picture, though, isn8217;t as rosy for the women. They surprised everyone by making it to the elite group last year and time, almost as a wake-up call, they have been grouped with China, Romania, Belarus, the Czech Republic and Serbia 038; Montenegro. The fight, then, would be to hold on to their elite status.