Newly married paddler Ghosh eyes comeback after off-court controversy

His life thrown out of gear by a rape allegation, one of Indian table tennis' shining lights Soumyajit Ghosh on Monday said he is eager to return to the fold as soon as possible, though admitting that the road to redemption won't be easy.

In March, Ghosh was accused of raping an 18-year-old girl after promising marriage but later shying away from the commitment. Ghosh, 25, is married to her now and desperate to return to the table.

The off-court controversies had come at a time when he was positioned at career-best 58 in the International Table Tennis Federation rankings.

"I had a troublesome four months. I have gained weight. It won't be easy, but I want my India jersey back. My target is 2020 Olympics but before that I have to get back to where I was," Ghosh said on the sidelines of his wedding reception here.

The two-time Olympian, scheduled to play in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Australia's Gold Coast, was suspended by the Table Tennis Federation of India pending police investigation. He was also axed from the Ultimate Table Tennis league.

His wife said that she would do whatever is good for Ghosh's cause and once the dust settles down, they will resolve the matter amicably.

"I want him to get back to where he was. Whatever differences we had have been sorted out. Now, we need to sit with lawyers to resolve the matter amicably," said Ghosh's wife.

Ghosh, India's youngest-ever national champion, was playing in Germany when he heard about the FIR filed against him by the teenager in Barasat, West Bengal.

"I will go back to my club once everything is sorted out here. I have not picked up a racket in these four months. It is so hard for me."

Ghosh will end up missing the Asian Games as well.

"I am at least happy that we got married and everything is falling in place now. I can regain my focus and concentrate on my game and fitness," added Ghosh, who qualified for the London and Rio Olympics.

--IANS

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