NEW DELHI: "My biggest recall of India at the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games (CWG) is that guy with the hair band playing table tennis." The 19-year-old teenager who said this during a conversation with the author couldn't remember the name of the player, but could almost portray the picture. "That tall guy playing TT for India almost forever," the youngster added, still scratching his head, trying to recall the name, before failing again and being finally told - it's Achanta Sharath Kamal.
After eight medals (4 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze) and 16 years since his first CWG appearance, Sharath remains the ultimate constant in India's CWG contingents, and it's going to stay that way for the next one -- Birmingham 2022, which will be Sharath's fifth CWG appearance. His first was in 2006 in Melbourne, in which he won two golds (men's singles and men's team).
