Opinion The Third Edit: Table tennis needs a champion like Achanta Sharath Kamal

Achanta Sharath Kamal wrapped up his career this week 20 years after winning the Arjuna Award, and having raised the bar for what a TT player could achieve on the professional circuit. He was 40 when he won his 7th Commonwealth Games gold, and that was a testament to his love for a sport that he continued to promote by staying competitive for three decades. No one will grudge him the “Thala of TT” moniker, such was his dedication despite the sport’s limited popularity. His two bronzes at Asian Games in 2018 had pushed other Indian players to aspire for more.

Sharath never rested on his laurels, and used every possible technological innovation to polish his game. He almost volunteered to allow the Chinese to videotape and dissect him, in order to stay at their training base and learn TT hacks. Countless winters were spent plying his trade in European leagues, even if Indians noticed his presence only during the multi-disciplinary Games. But Sharath would help several Indian juniors step up at the Games and shepherd them through nervous times at the table.

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Going ahead, Sharath Kamal has earned his cred as an experienced professional in tune with the requirements of the modern game reaching the highest ranking of 30. He continued in the footsteps of past players Chetan Baboor and S Raman, going well past their medal counts. His 13 CWG medals, including the men’s singles golds 16 years apart (2006 and 2022), will remain an astonishing record in Indian sport. Never cribbing, hardly ever demanding more than TT was assigned, Sharath remained uncontroversial and dignified. Now that he looks bound towards the game’s administration, he would be expected to ensure that table tennis aims even higher than that which he accomplished quietly. TT needs a Pullela Gopichand to push it into the next orbit and Sharath could be the one to do so.