Sharath Kamal- The man who changed the landscape of Table Tennis

Sharath Kamal is a professional table tennis player from India. He belongs from Tamil Nadu and is the first player from India who had become Senior National Champion nine times. He was born on 12th of July, 1982 and is currently 38 years old. When we are talking about changing the scenario of the Indian Table Tennis, no one is supposed to take so much credit as the veteran Indian table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal. He had also scripted the historic gold in the event of the men’s individual at the 2006 CWG. he followed this with many other rare feats so that India came into the global stage. 

Table tennis is regarded as the most popular recreational game. But since the game is confined to play rooms and its domain is restricted therefore, we have avoided the fact that this sport is an Olympic sport and can also be taken as an option of the career along with this, came the renowned, extraordinarily talented Sharath Kamal, who braved the stereotypes and shackles that made everyone realize that table tennis is not a sport for pastime and it also gave a boost in India which was lifeless for decades. 

Kamlesh Mehta, who is the most decorated player of the 20th century of India is considered as the rare phenomenon and at the same time Chetan Baboor was more than a sensation. Two of them never managed to inspire the youth or passed their legacy for further glory. This made a differentiation between the former two table tennis players from Sharath Kamal. Everyone was starstruck by the humbleness of Sharath Kamal after he became the superstar by winning the historic gold medal in the men’s single event at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games of 2006. 

Sharath Kamal, who is a Chennai-born paddler made an appearance as an antithesis to the usual trend when table tennis was about to decline and was seen mainly as a sport to collect lucrative deals from the identities of the corporate. The participation in the events of the big-ticket was regarded as the end game for some, William Henzel who is the outwitting local boy in the Melbourne CWG Gold medal match of 2006 was something unimaginable. But the Indian peddler, Shararth Kamal was born to attain the impossible. 

Sharath Kamal was shoulders and heads above all his contemporaries in India. He had a world ranking among the top-100 clubs while the others are hovering much below. He also had a record in the domestic matches of winning the national titles for nine times and that justifies the backer he was of the Indian Table Tennis. The mostly heard existence of the European Leagues in the first decade of the century. The appearance of the Sharath Kamal was regarded as the appearance of the flamboyant paddler in the German major league when Indians got a chance of recognition in the foreign territories. Two of the most reputed clubs that he played for are Borussia Dusseldorf and SV Werder Bremen. 

The legacy of the Indian peddler was not restricted to the foreign invasion but also exploits consistently in the domestic arena. He also became the torchbearer of table tennis for more than a decade at a stretch. There were many players who were shot in the limelight but at the same time faded away. But Sharath Kamala was universal in the canvas. 

We are still living in the era of Sharath Kamal. In 2020, he grabbed the top rights in the Oman Open at the age of 37. It was more of showcasing his class than proving a particular point. He defines normalcy, which eventually makes him a stalwart in the Indian sports. His versatility was proved by his win in the historic Bronze medal in the Asian Games of 2018 alongside Manika Batra who is twelve years younger to him. 

Nowadays, table tennis is no longer neglected as it has better facilities, a proper roadmap for the days in the future and also foreign coaches. Despite the technical aspects, the Indian media also had a good coverage of the sport and they also spoke for the changing landscape of table tennis in this entire country. Today the stand of our country is on the verge of fielding the best ever contingent of table tennis at the Olympic games. But we should be clear in our mind that a prospect for a medal is a farfetched reality. If our country gets past the first two rounds that will be the least that we can expect. Sharath Kamala has shown the way to fight and rest of the players have just followed his path.