India Needs a Clear Structure

India's finest table tennis player talks about his career and what can take young players forward

- Rutvick Mehta

MUMBAI: Twenty-two years into playing professional table tennis, Sharath Kamal realised time had come to pull the plug during the Asian Championships last October. "I felt, 'No man, I'm done. I can't do this anymore'."

Not because the five-time Olympian, whose longevity earned him the Commonwealth Games singles gold in 2006 and 2022 and multiple CWG and two Asian Games medals, stopped enjoying it. "I thought if I don't take that step, I might miss the bus in providing a lot more in my next role — to support the next generation of players."

As the most decorated Indian paddler gears up for his home swansong at the WTT Star Contender Chennai next week, he chats on how he's seen Indian TT evolve through his long journey and what needs to be done to take it to the next level.

What about your career are you most proud of?

I was really proud of the second phase of my career. There was a time, around the 2016 Rio Games, when I contemplated quitting. Purely because of age. But then the second part was much stronger than the first. The phase from 2017 to the beginning of 2024, I reached new heights. Year after year, I kept going higher, without knowing where my summit was.

From when you began in 2002 to now, what's the biggest difference in Indian TT?