Sharath says men’s team has best performance and firepower in the world
Sharath says men’s team has best performance and firepower in the world
Chennai
India’s star paddler A Sharath Kamal said he was not match-fit for the World Team Table Tennis Championships to be held in Chengdu (China) from 30 September to 9 October, especially after the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where he won four medals . Which includes three gold and one silver for India. “Preparing for CWG was tough for my body, mind and family as well. I want to balance things at this stage of my life. After excellent results at the Commonwealth Games, I doubt whether I can be in my best shape physically and mentally in preparation for the World Championships and with those doubts I can’t take a team to a big tournament where there’s a lot. All the responsibility will be on our shoulders,” said the 40-year-old, who will not be playing in the world for the first time since competing in the 2003 event in Paris, in a message Hindu on Thursday. “I thought it would be best to skip the preparation and tournament this time around.” But Sharath said the men’s team has the best performance and firepower in the world. “My teammates are very well experienced and know how to prepare and excel in major championships. Sathiyan has the confidence right after the Commonwealth Games and Harmeet (Desai) has shown that he can win gold in the men’s team event. What it is capable of doing to win,” he said. Speaking to The Hindu, Sathiyan said it would be difficult to replicate the performance of 2018 (Halmstedt, Sweden) when the men’s team finished 13th.
“Without Sharath, it will not be easy. Our primary objective will be to make it to the Knock-Outs (Stage II) from the groups. A top 16-finish would be a great performance,” he said.