AHMEDABAD: The talented Payas Jain is making a name for himself. He may just be 20 but the paddler, mentored by A Sharath Kamal, representing Chennai Lions in the ongoing edition of Ultimate Table Tennis, is already showing glimpses of a promising future. Unlike a few other paddlers, he's also using sports tech to become the best version of himself.
Although his team endured a tough campaign in Season Six of the Ultimate Table Tennis, Payas has benefited a great deal from playing for the first time in the league. “It's my first time (second season) for the Chennai Lions and I have got a few wins against India players. I got the chance to play against Aruna Quadri (Kolkata Thunderblades) who's a top 10 player and also against a few more international players,” he told The New Indian Express.
“I got feedback on my game and how to improve and what different things are they (the seniors) doing and how can I improve, so yeah it's a great season for me and felt great,” he added.
One of the figures Payas learnt a lot from is five-time Olympian paddler Sharath who is Chennai Lions' mentor. “I have known him for a long time and he's been helping me a lot. I have learnt how to handle pressure and how to apply pressure on the opponent by having a good serve and also while receiving,” he said.
It was Sharath's advice that helped Payas find rhythm during tough matches. Payas explained how he communicates with Chinese paddler Fan Siqi in the mixed-doubles matches. In the three matches they have played together, they defeated the mixed pair of Kolkata and lost to the mixed pairs of Jaipur Patriots and U Mumba. “In the beginning we faced a lot of problems, because she did not know English. But we trained together and we improved our communication through sign language,” he said.
Communicating mid-match is difficult for Payas, because Siqi’s manager, who is also her translator, is not allowed inside the court. To counter that, the duo make plans during their practice sessions “We don't really need to communicate too much mid-game. We train as per our plan," he added. One thing that helped Payas improve is sports technology.
“I feel this is new to India but Europeans and all the top Asian players have it for mental training, be it on activating your neurons while playing and how you can master your breathing. After research with both my mental and physical trainers, I have some gadgets to use and it's giving me an edge for sure,” he said. Payas, who hails from Delhi, opened up on his experience representing a Chennai-based franchise. “It's great to be a part of the Chennai Lions and the people are very humble, very welcoming.” With UTT over, Payas has set his eyes on improving the rankings before the Asian Games. “I am focussing on being India No 1 and World number 15. I need to really focus on the process to get better. I am trying to work hard (for the upcoming domestic and international tournaments), and let's see where it goes,” he signed off.
Payas was one of the shining lights for Chennai Lions in what was otherwise a forgettable season, a season where they finished bottom of the points table.
