Commonwealth Games 2018: Indian table tennis icon Achanta Sharath Kamal will look for a last hurrah at Gold Coast

Name: Achanta Sharath Kamal Age: 35 Sport: Table Tennis Category: Men’s singles, Men’s team and Men’s Doubles Past Commonwealth Games performance: Gold medal in men’s singles, men’s team at 2006 Commonwealth Games; Gold medal in men’s doubles at 2010 Commonwealth Games Best performance: Gold medal in men’s singles at 2006 Commonwealth Games Achanta Sharath Kamal has been the flag-bearer of Indian table tennis for over a decade. The Commonwealth Games (CWG) has often got the best out of the veteran Indian paddler and the 2018 edition — likely to be his last — once again comes at a point when the Sharath is on the up. The Indian stunned World No 7 Koki Niwa at the Qatar Open earlier this month for “the biggest win of his career”. [caption id=“attachment_3228380” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Achanta Sharath Kamal. Reuters[/caption] “I feel we have a good chance in all four categories (singles, team, doubles and mixed doubles). It is easily the strongest men’s squad we have fielded at the Commonwealth Games,” Sharath told PTI, referring to the fact that India has as many as six players in the top-100 of ITTF men’s rankings. “The ranking system has changed completely and the more you play, the better it is. That is one of the reasons why six of us are in the top-100. Having said that, the boys are doing really well and we really have a strong squad.” Sharath has managed to maintain a top-100 spot in the last decade but he was way outside the bracket in the Melbourne edition 12 years ago, with India No 2 Soumyadeep Roy being outside top-200. The 35-year-old has partnered Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in men’s doubles for over a year and the combination has looked promising.  “Towards that end, I’ve paired up with Sathiyan. Our partnership is about a year old and we are doing well,” Sharath told The Hindu .  On a personal level, Sharath believes both physical and mental preparations are paying him dividends. “The preparations have been good since September. I was happy to win the nationals (a record eighth trophy), it gave me the momentum I needed. Things I have been working on, both physically and mentally, have come along finally,” he added. The Chennai-born paddler however felt he will need to be on his game to repeat his heroics and win a singles gold medal at Gold Coast. In the singles, he will also get stiff competition from teammate G Sathiyan, who is now the highest-ranked Indian at 49. “Playing against your countryman is most difficult. You always want to beat the players from other countries but it is mentally much tougher when you are against a fellow Indian, with whom you train and spend a lot of time. Let’s see how it goes in Gold Coast,” the soft-spoken Sharath revealed. Having been the heart and soul of Indian table tennis for over a decade, Sharath would be looking to make his final CWG games appearance — a competition where he has always enjoyed success — a memorable one. However, nothing less than a gold medal would make it one for the tall paddler with lofty ambitions. Click  here  to read profiles of other Indian athletes involved in the Commonwealth Games 2018