Minds without fear: The ultimate success of UTT

Commonwealth Games doubles Gold Medalist, Sreeja Akula, believes the awareness about table tennis has increased, which has ultimately helped the financial side of the sport as well.

Goa Challengers celebrate after winning the UTT title.

CHENNAI: With a roaring Pune crowd behind him, Harmeet Desai did something that none one could do in the entire fourth season of Ultimate Table Tennis. He ended the winning streak of the current World No 29, Benedikt Duda, in a comeback victory to help his side, Goa Challengers, beat Chennai Lions.

Two days before the final showdown, Puneri Paltan’s Manush Shah stunned World No. 17 Quadri Aruna of U Mumba to see his side reach the semi-final. These are not just the wins on the board for the respective teams, this is a massive win for the UTT and for Indian Table Tennis. Shah admits it was a surreal experience for him. “That result (beating Aruna) gave me a sense that anything is possible. We are getting better and better every single day. That is a good sign for Indian table tennis and the young upcoming players,” Shah told this daily.

19-year-old Payas Jain, the only Indian player to clinch three medals in the Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championship, was part of the Chennai Lions, who ended up runners-up of the tournament. Throughout the tournament, he felt like this was his baptism of fire at the most competitive level.

“I have learned a lot from this season. When you are watching it on TV, it’s different, but when you are part of that environment with the team, it’s a different energy altogether. After the junior level, I want to achieve more at the senior level and the experience of UTT is something that will help me. Our captain, Sharath Kamal has been a great motivator for me. I have seen him play for the longest time. Now he is like my friend,” Jain added.

Commonwealth Games doubles Gold Medalist, Sreeja Akula, believes the awareness about table tennis has increased, which has ultimately helped the financial side of the sport as well. “The government is already doing a lot for the sport, but there are private sponsors now who are coming forward to sponsor the individual needs of players,” Akula added.

Kamal, who has been the face of Indian Table Tennis over the years, values the importance of the league not just for the young players, but for the experienced players as well. “As a 22-year-old, I went into Europe in search of this very situation. I’m happy for the young players and for the seasoned players. They are getting this kind of opportunity in their own country. At the same time, they can have some amount of financial benefits from the experience that they are having,” Sharath added. 

With the Asian Games ahead of them in Hangzhou, the Indian contingent is ready to add more medals to their tally, and the experience of the UTT will definitely come in handy for them.

(The author is in Pune on invitation from UTT)