WTT Contender 2025: Pretty sure I’m leaving Indian table tennis in safe hands, says Sharath Kamal

Achanta Sharath Kamal felt that playing a foreigner would have allowed him to express himself in a better way after a straight-games loss to Snehit Suravajjula in the round of 16 at the WTT Star Contender in Chennai brought the curtain down on his table tennis career on Saturday.

Playing in front of 600-odd spectators, the 42-year-old Sharath went down 0-3 (9-11, 8-11, 9-11) to local wildcard and doubles partner Snehit in 25 minutes on the show court at the Nehru Indoor Stadium.

“Everybody expects me to be the favourite against the Indian boys but personally, I would have loved to face a foreigner because I can then go all guns blazing,” said Sharath after the defeat.

Sharath and Snehit both played with a cautious approach which did not allow the energy levels of the contest to rise. “There is a lot happening mentally. I’m a little bit like a mentor for them (other Indian players). Apart from Snehit, I have been working with Manav (Thakkar), Manush (Shah), Harmeet (Desai) and G. Sathiyan.

If you are playing against a foreigner, then you have your whole team and the crowd cheering for you. You also get pumped up but that’s how the draw is, and I am really happy for Snehit for the wonderful tournament he is having and I’m pretty sure he’ll make it past the next round as well,” said Sharath.

“I lost the first game 9-11. I led 5-1 in the second. I should have won at least one set to figure out what was happening,” he added.

Also read | Sharath Kamal calls curtains to illustrious career on anti-climatic note

Sharath further praised the 24-year-old Snehit, currently ranked 123, for his performances at the international level despite his struggles domestically. “Snehit played well. He’ll probably now break into the Top 100. This season, especially the last two months, the domestic part was not very good for him but the international performances in the last few months have been really good. It’s good to have so many of these younger talents push each other,” he said.

On his own exit, Sharath felt that he did the best he could. “The way this tournament has ended for me, I could not have asked for anything more. I didn’t expect much from the tournament but reaching the semifinals in men’s doubles and last 16 in singles (was great). Of course, I would have loved to keep playing today, win and come back tomorrow because the fans were fantastic,” he said.

“With Sathiyan and Harmeet as the seniors and then, you have Manav, Manush, Snehit, Payas (Jain) and Ankur (Bhattacharjee), it’s good bench strength and I’m pretty sure I’m leaving Indian table tennis in safe hands,” he added.

Sharath bagged a total of 15 medals across the Asian and Commonwealth Games but an Olympic medal remained elusive despite five appearances. “Of course, I always wanted that Olympic medal. In reality, we are still pretty far from there,” said Sharath.

While his own career spanned over two decades, Sharath felt that very few players would be able to do the same given the demands of the sport today. “The playing field has become more gruesome. There are a lot more tournaments and travel. The wear and tear is very high for the players. It is not really easy to play for a longer period of time but there will be players who will be able to manage it well, keep themselves physically and mentally fit. They will be able to manage the international circuit also. All I can tell the youngsters is that times are changing. They need to evolve and adapt,” he said.