Tokyo Olympics 2020: Fifth seed Indian men's table tennis squad well-placed to earn qualification for team event at Games
Despite the lack of a head coach since the 2019 Asian Games, Indian players have been producing impressive on the professional circuit

-
Unless the team comprising G Sathiyan (world rank 30), veteran Sharath Kamal (WR 33) and Harmeet Desai (WR 86) play badly, India should not have a lot of difficulty in making the Olympic cut
-
In the past games, Indian players have played only in individual events but now three of them being in top-100 shows the rapid strides India has taken at the highest level
-
The men take on Luxembourg in their opening match and women, seeded 17th, face a formidable Sweden.
Gondomar: The Indian men's table tennis squad is well placed to create history at the Olympic qualifiers beginning on Wednesday, the fifth seeds needing just a quarterfinal finish to ensure its maiden qualification as a team at the Summer Games.
Unless the team comprising G Sathiyan (world rank 30), veteran Sharath Kamal (WR 33) and Harmeet Desai (WR 86) play badly, India should not have a lot of difficulty in making the Olympic cut.

File image of India's G Sathiyan. Image Courtesy: Facebook
In the past games, Indian players have played only in individual events but now three of them being in top-100 shows the rapid strides India has taken at the highest level.
The men take on Luxembourg in their opening match and women, seeded 17th, face a formidable Sweden.
Ahead of the tournament, the squad had a camp in Chennai before it travelled to Germany to train with its national team.
Despite the lack of a head coach since the 2019 Asian Games, Indian players have been producing impressive on the professional circuit.
The men's team had ended a 60-year wait by winning a historic bronze at the Asian Games in Jakarta.
The contingent's campaign got even better Sharath and Manika Batra, who won four medals at the preceding Commonwealth Games, bagged a surprise bronze in the mixed doubles.
Nine qualifying spots are on offer at the ITTF organised event. A top-eight finish guarantees Olympic qualification.
Korea are the top seeds in men's category, followed by Chinese Taipei, Sweden, France and India.
Hong Kong are the top seeds in women's event, followed by Chinese Taipei, Singapore, Korea and Romania.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.
also read

Gregg Clark appointed analytical coach of Indian men's hockey team till Tokyo Olympics
Clark, who will join the national camp this month, had coached the Indian junior men's team in 2013-2014 when it won the Sultan of Johor Cup and also participated at the 2013 FIH Junior World Cup in New Delhi.

Saina Nehwal criticises BWF for denying access to physios, trainers ahead of upcoming tournaments
In a series of tweets, Olympic bronze-medallist Saina expressed her displeasure at the restrictions imposed by BWF as part of its COVID-19 protocols for the bio-security bubble.

Tokyo Olympics 2020: Senior IOC member Richard Pound unsure Summer Games will happen
The comments by Canadian IOC member Richard Pound to BBC came as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency on Thursday for Tokyo and surrounding prefectures.