It was about 925pm in Birmingham in August 2022 and the Commonwealth Games women’s doubles medal match was still on in the Badminton arena. I had come out to buy a sandwich when I saw Sharath Kamal walking towards the stands. We greeted each other and as expected started chatting about what he had achieved earlier in the day. 2006-2022 – 5 Commonwealth Games appearances, 5 gold medals and 10 medals in all and counting. It will take some doing to break Sharath Kamal’s record.
Add the historic Asian games mixed doubles medal, multiple national medals and the sheer excellence at the top for a good two decades and you know you are speaking about an extraordinary athlete. As he calls it a day, may I say he has enriched the sport and has left behind a legacy that will forever stay as a reference point in the annals of Indian sport.
In fact, I had once asked him how he continued to raise the bar even after 20 years? His answer best explained why he is who he is.
“See, the secret is the tri colour. You just want to do things for your country. When I look back, I think I was able to do this because of my discipline and passion for the sport and because there is nothing better than to make your people proud. In Birmingham, in 2022, to be able to defend the team gold medal meant a lot to us. And when you beat a team like Nigeria 3-0, it is a result to be reasonably proud of for it means you are improving and on the right track. Except in the final, we did not drop a single match and that’s what consistency is all about,” he said.
Time and again in the last two decades, Sharath has stood up. Held the team together, encouraged the youngsters to get better and create a more robust eco-system for the sport.
“For me, to play this sport is a matter of great pride and to be able to do something for India is a privilege. The match against Ma Long for example in Tokyo was a very good one but I ended up on the losing side. I will remember such matches because these matches taught me a lot. Tokyo allowed me to win against Quadri in 2022 in Birmingham. That’s how sport always is,” he said.
For Sharath, it has always been about the preparation and the process. His training, his discipline, his routine. And now he leaves the game in a much better shape than it was a decade earlier. “If you see Indian Table Tennis in totality, you will see the game has never been in better health. Our players regularly beat top 10 players now. We did very well in the world championship. So we have evolved as a team. For me, personally the Olympic medal is the only one missing from the repertoire. If we keep doing well, we do have a chance,” he had once said.
What helps Kamal stand apart is also because he was able to evolve with time. “I can’t overemphasise the importance of sports science, nutrition and mental training. I was able to accomplish what I did in 2022 largely because of a combination of all of these. On many occasions, I had to play back to back matches and I did not even leave the arena.
“I just left my kit bag and came back within minutes to play a follow up match. It happened for days. How do you do this without proper mental conditioning and sports science? Modern sport is very different and I give a lot of credit to my team for doing what they have done for me,” he said.
You need Sharath involved with the sport. You need his vision. We have seen Sreejesh do that. We need to ensure Sharath does the same. Happy retirement.
Also Read: Sharath Kamal Achanta Bids Farewell to Table Tennis at WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025