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The Hindu
The Hindu
Sport
Amol Karhadkar

Asian Games a litmus test for 2024 Paris Olympics: Sharath Kamal

A Sharath Kamal Asian Games Tennis IOA India SAI the Asian Games
The challenges of an encore: Sharath won two bronze medals at the 2018 Asian Games, but says defending them at Hangzhou will be ‘very, very tough’. | Photo credit: K. Pichumani
Fierce focus: Sharath says he makes a conscious effort to stay away from the controversies that crop up in Indian table tennis, which have a detrimental effect on performance, and spends all his energy on the game. | Photo credit: Getty Images

He has been the torch-bearer of Indian table tennis for almost two decades. At 41, A. Sharath Kamal is still setting his sights high. After impressing in season four of Ultimate Table Tennis and reclaiming the Inter-Institution singles crown this week, Sharath is eyeing a podium finish at the Asian Games, which begins in Hangzhou next month. In a freewheeling chat during UTT, he dwelt on the Asian Games’ importance, his future and the state of Indian table tennis. Excerpts:

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