CHENNAI: Passion and skill are two important aspects for any player. But when you have the right coach who understands your strengths and weaknesses, you win games. MR Balamurugan, a talented teenager who has been making rapid strides in the table tennis scene, improved his game ever since he graduated to train under ace coach and former India player S Raman at Raman TT High Performance Center (RTTHPC). Along with winning individual games, he has also made a mark by winning national and international meets. Currently, this 16-year-old is ranked No 1 in India in the Under-17 category.
A student of Maharishi Vidhya Mandir, Chetpet, Chennai (NIOS), Balamurugan got into the sport at the age of seven, following in the footsteps of his sister who was a table tennis player. “My elder sister used to play table tennis. After some tournaments, she used to discuss how she won the match. She was appreciated a lot at home and this grabbed my attention and propelled me to play table tennis,” he added.
What started as a mere exercise soon became a passion. “In my formative years, I joined table tennis for physical and mental fitness, but subsequently as time progressed I developed a passion for it. I felt table tennis was an extraordinary game that improved my memory, ability, critical thinking, and strategic planning. Physically it helped in eye coordination, faster reflexes, and body movement,” said Balamurugan. He first trained at MAK Table Tennis Academy and his first coach was Ashok Kumar.
Like every other TT star that emerged from the state, Balamurugan took part in various tournaments organised by the Tamil Nadu Table Tennis Association. These tourneys are said to give players good exposure and also help them prepare for the nationals. “My first win was the first State Ranking tournament in 2016 where I won in the Mini-Cadets category. But it was the National Championship held in Goa in 2017, where our team won the gold medal in the Cadet Boys category by beating the defending champions West Bengal team in the final which was a neck-to-neck match. I was appreciated by my fellow association members and players for the best performance in the tournament. This encouraged me to take up table tennis seriously,” he shared.
There has been a great improvement in his game and skill sets since he began training under noted coach S Raman at his academy in 2020. “I did this to get high-standard training under experienced coaches to improve my game and compete with national and international level players. S Raman sir and R Bhuvaneshwari have been very helpful. In fact, under them, I got to improve my skill sets and learnt to use strategies during matches. My practice sessions became more useful and I could develop a good mindset,” said Balamurugan.
After his RTTHPC stint, the medals tally improved by leaps and bounds for this youngster as he had a better understanding of his game. “From winning state titles in a singles category I managed to bag multiple, consecutive titles at international and national level meets. From playing in competitions in the same age group I graduated and started to win titles in the men’s category. I bagged several medals at the South Asian championships. In the WTT Youth Contender in U-15 boys singles, 2022 at Cairo, Egypt, I got a silver medal. In 2023 at the UTT National Ranking I got a gold medal at the championship played at various venues,” he said.
With table tennis now being termed a ‘speed’ sport, Balamurugan gives equal importance to fitness as he does to his game. He trains under Basu Shankar, the former trainer of the India cricket team. He most recently showcased his talent at the Table Tennis Super League held at Ampa Skywalk Mall on May 4 and 5.