Smash hits

He’s the first Indian to be ranked among the top 60 in the world. But table tennis champion Sharath Kamal says he still has a point to prove about the game he loves

It is a hot day in Chennai but that’s not the only reason table tennis star Achant Sharath Kamal is feeling the heat. For the first time, an Indian has broken into the top 60 world rankings in table tennis and while Kamal is proud to have done that, he knows the pressure that comes with it. The 28-year-old is ranked 55 and will be the defending champion at the Commonwealth Games this October. “Individually and as a team we have a good chance,” he says.

Beijing wasn’t a great experience but since then he has beaten a couple of top 50 players and feels he's on to something good. “I've worked hard for it,” he says. Last year, he spent six weeks in Germany training and working hard on his weaknesses. He joined a Spanish club called San Sebastian and playing week in week out with top ranked players. He fine-tuned his forehand, lost a lot of weight, improved his fitness and became a better all-round player. “Players from countries like Singapore, Japan and China are extremely good and you need to do a lot of homework before playing them,” he says.

His love for the sport began as an eight year old in Chennai. His father Srinivasa Rao was a national level coach in table tennis, and it was only natural for him to want his son to be interested in the sport. “I had been going to the local club to watch him play and coach even before I could walk, so it was natural for me to take up the sport,” he recalls. The early days weren’t too easy and finding sponsors was difficult. But Kamal’s undeniable talent led to a job with Indian Oil as well as sponsors. He has been ranked number one since 2003 and has dominated the national scene. At the international level, the gold medal in Melbourne is a high point in his career and there’s nothing he wants more than to replicate that success in Delhi this year. “I don’t want to raise expectations of fans and all I have to say is that I will give it my best shot,” he says, about playing in front of the home crowd.

In his free time, Kamal plays the guitar and is a movie buff. “Be it Hindi, English or even foreign language movies, I love watching them all,” he says. He has been married for the last year and admits that with so much time devoted to sport, he has little to spare for his family.

“I am 28 now and a TT player reaches his peak between 29-32, so I am confident that my best years are ahead of me,” he says. Breaking into the top 50, and doing well at CWG 2010 are the main aim this year.

And Kamal is hopeful of achieving both. He says that he wants to be a role model for kids and prove that Indians too can do well in a sport like table tennis. “It’s ironic that table tennis is one game which is played by most youngsters in school or college and yet we don’t produce champions on a regular basis,” he adds. Well, if anyone can prove that table tennis is more than a recreational sport in the country, he can. And what better platform than the Commonwealth Games, in front of the home crowd. “Hopefully,”, he says, “we will have a lot to cheer about table tennis in the future.”