India’s Achanta Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, Sanil Shetty and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran pose for photographs after winning the gold medal in the table tennis men’s team event (PTI)
In what is clearly an age-bending anomaly in Indian table tennis, Sharath Kamal likes blasting AC/DC and Guns ‘n Roses, and in rocker’s city Birmingham, has been feeding off Axl Rose. He also did other assorted age-bending things this week like beating Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna in the electric semifinals of the Men’s Team event. But he has tolerated some other forms of music, like Arijit Singh, that teammates G Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai dig, and which he finds too heavy. “Too dard bharaa (pensive).”
In a bond built over many Commonwealth Games, and being together through rough times and indifference to their wins, the Indian men’s Table Tennis team has built a gold-winning streak since 2018, playing a harmonious tune that keeps the juggernaut rolling. On Tuesday, it brought India another gold medal – Sharath’s 3rd – as the paddlers delivered a 3-1 win over young guns Singapore. “Maybe because of my years in Europe, I’m a complete rock buff. These guys…” Sharath laughs, mock chidingly, “they don’t know rock. They go ‘what’s that noise?” he chuckles, while posing proudly with his 10th CWG medal, not so much the CWG mascot. At 39, grungy Arijit Singh and goofy stuffed toy bulls, aren’t exactly an allure.
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Yet, despite belonging to different generations, the Indian quartet of Sharath Kamal, G Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shetty have managed to stay away from the usual discords that have disbanded many teams before. “I can’t impose on them. I want to give them the space they need. I’m not bigger than the sport,” Sharath says, of submerging all ego for the team cause. “Everyone has to do his job. Today I couldn’t win my match, so I didn’t do my job. But the others stepped up,” he explains, a day after he led India into the finals, on the back of a win that had supporters from Ghana, Botswana, Nigeria and Kenya rooting for the African icon in one right din.
In the finals against Singapore, G Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai combined to pull India out of a tricky 1-1 situation, and it was an aggressive power-thrust from Desai that ensured India ended up 3-1 winners to retain gold. “There was more pressure this time, defending the title,” said Shetty adding, the team will celebrate with some ice-cream, before the diet regimen kicks in again on Wednesday for the individual event.
At 9-9 in a Sharath game, the team would suggest the veteran try an up-spin serve, an input that would help him get the next two points. “This team has been together for years now. We don’t have to think much, we just know what needs to be said when to each other,” he said.
Against Singapore, Harmeet was similarly told to keep attacking – regular doses of rousing encouragement to keep his whippy backhand whirring. Starting as third seeds, and half-expecting Liam Pitchford’s England to turn up in the finals, the young Singapore upstarts posed a mystery challenge, even as the Indians absorbed the pressure of defending gold. With two top players in good form, there was room for the No. 3 to step up.
Dart-throwing elbows off-table
The bond in the team has grown, however, over other games and frolic. There’s cards – bluff, at which Sathiyan claims he wins, and pool and darts, the latter that Sharath gestures is his territory. Shetty kicks ass in Playstation. “But if you call him at 2 am and say you need help, Sanil will be there for you,” Sharath says of his teammate.
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The team ribs Sathiyan incessantly about being attached to his phone, while Sharath gets a lot of eye-rolls from his younger teammates for being up and awake and ready for practice at ungodly early hours. “He wakes up so early,” Harmeet carps.
Their complementary natures often offset each other’s drawbacks. “The thing with Sathiyan is he can see the bright side of any situation and turn any negative into a positive. He’s never negative, and that is infectious,” Harmeet adds.
Breakthrough tournament for Harmeet
Desai, who starred in the finals with the doubles win and then pulling the critical third singles, remembers the journey he’s undertaken in a game that helped him make peace with his unfulfilled childhood dream. “As a kid, I wanted to join the army. As you know, Gujaratis don’t often join the army. But I had taken a liking to the olive uniform after watching Border. Corny, I know. That dream never worked out. But I’m glad I could represent India somewhere and win for the country,” he said after completing his win, where the pressure of defending the title had given him sleepless nights.
Hailing from Surat, TT wasn’t very common either. “There had hardly been any national player before me from Surat. There’s no sports culture there, and I always struggled for sparring and quality coaching,” he recalls.
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His father played TT with friends, and had lodged a playing table at home for recreation. “He got a coach for me, but it’s not like I could stay in Surat and train,” he said. It also meant he is forced to camp in Germany for 8-9 months every year. “Initially, that was difficult because you have to cook your own food. I’ve burnt my hand once in the process, and sometimes food has tasted so bad, plus there’s no one to blame. It’s when you realise that the brats that we are at home, where we complain ki namak zyada hai, namak kum hai (there is excess salt, or less) to our mothers is so wrong on our part. You realise how difficult it is to cook,” he says, the memories striking as a revelation.
On Tuesday, the memory bugging him was of a doubles match he had lost with Anthony Amalraj at the Worlds to the same Singaporean pairing. “I kept thinking of the doubles the whole night, and we watched our opponents’ games. But today I was in the flow. Before the doubles, I just said to myself ‘Today is my day.’ After Sathiyan’s match, I was a little relaxed because we had the cushion.”
With Sathiyan closing out the semis handling pressure, it was Harmeet’s turn to finish it in the finals. “Winning in 2018 was good, but defending was the pressure. We are all more mature and experienced now. I’m glad we got it done,” Harmeet ended.
Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball.
Professional Profile
Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express.
Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics.
Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium.
Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025)
Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond:
Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style.
PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps.
The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals.
Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas.
Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes.
Notable Recent Articles
BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025)
The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025)
Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025)
Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025)
Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025)
Other Sports Interests
Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts.
You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More
