Sathiyan 2.0 eyes way back to the big league

There was a surprise omission as the two teams walked out to compete in the men's team final of the 86th Senior National Championships here on Wednesday.

- Shahid Judge

SURAT:

The No. 1 player on the men's domestic rankings, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, was not playing for the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) team. A knee issue, he says, prompted him to sit out of the final.

"I was part of the team and I felt this would be good for the team," he told HT, after PSPB beat the Railways 3-2 for the title. "I don't want to be having doubts in my mind and go and play and not be able to give my best. If I'm not at my best, and something happens, then we're losing on both sides (the final and an aggravated injury)."

For a player who has recently had struggles with injury and form, the decision reflects a new mindset the 31-year-old has adopted about the way he approaches the game. He dubs it, "Sathiyan 2.0."

Earlier, Sathiyan would be ready and willing to compete each and every time possible, be it in an individual event or for a team competition. But the back injury he picked up after the delayed Asian Games in 2023 started to affect his hips and knees, and eventually, his form. It was the first time in his career that he had suffered this severe an injury.

Olympic qualification