CHENNAI: “We have never won a medal at Asian Games. Now will be an amazing time to break that duck, especially after our success at Commonwealth Games.”
A Sharath Kamal
“We want to create a new background for the sport in India. Take the case of a family where the father is in labour work. He will obviously want to give a better life for his kids. If he takes sports as a possible choice, we want them to look at ours as a possible avenue.”
Massimo Costantini
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GOING into the Asian Games, very few Indian sportspersons will command as much coverage as the table tennis contingent. Thanks to their showing at Commonwealth Games in April (3 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze), members of the men’s and women’s teams became overnight rockstars. A solid showing by the men in Sweden at World Championships in June has only added to the buzz.
And the atmosphere in the camp reflects this level of positivity. At a felicitation organised by Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) in New Delhi earlier this week, the camaraderie was evident among the Jakarta-bound players. Sharing pasta. Posting selfies. Engaging in light-hearted banter with coach Costantini. Their smiles that evening wouldn’t have been out of place in a toothpaste advertisement.
Behind this exterior, there is also genuine determination to go where no team from India has gone before. “Win a medal at Asian Games... wouldn’t that be something?” G Sathiyan says. Sharath and Manika Batra sing the same tune.
But all of them know that the tables in Jakarta won’t represent a picnic site. “Hard... very tough... will be a struggle,” Sharath says. “We (men’s team) always reach the quarterfinals and there we face China, and...” the 36-year-old points out.
From then on, the luck of draw will decide where India will finish. “If we don’t get China, we have a good chance. We faced them the in the last two editions, and we are still pretty far from them.”
So, how did hoping against hope change to cautious expectation? How did a country that won one medal in 2014 begin to treat its paddlers like they were a ‘60s rock band?
Money, budgets, exposure trips and a conveyor belt of talent. Costantini narrates a story about the differences between his first and second stints as coach, perfectly capturing the distance Indian table tennis has travelled in the last eight years.
“The demand for international exposure trips has improved a lot. There wasn’t much in 2009-10. These days, it’s very different. A lot of seniors come up to me and keep putting in requests to go to Hong Kong, China, Portugal and other countries. The same goes for cadets. After finishing third in a meet, one competitor also wanted to go an international-exposure trip. They have all understood that without them, you cannot improve.”
Manika, who suffered at World Championships, has also realised this. “I have had a few offers from clubs abroad, and I might play in Germany in 2019.”
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Not many federations make the news for the right reasons. But TTFI are. They are in the process of appointing two coaches: one foreign coach for juniors and one to assist Costantini.
The Italian, who confirmed this development, is delighted. But he is also quick to temper expectations ahead of what is likely to be the biggest test for the sport’s growth story. “The target is quarterfinals. From there, you never know.”
swaroop@newindianexpress.com