India’s Asian Games medal hopes strong, says Harmeet Desai ahead of campaign

Indian table tennis star Harmeet Desai believes India’s men’s team has the strength and balance to win a medal at the upcoming Asian Games. He credits international exposure, professional support systems and improved infrastructure for the country’s growing success

Surat: Indian table tennis star and Arjuna Awardee Harmeet Desai believes India’s men’s team has the right mix of experience and youth to challenge the best at the upcoming Asian Games and is confident of bringing home a medal.

Speaking in an exclusive interview, Harmeet said the Indian men’s team, comprising Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, G. Sathiyan and Payas Jain along with himself, is well balanced and capable of producing strong performances against the continent’s top teams.

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“In the Asian Games, I, Manav Thakkar, Manush Ji, Satyan and Payas Jain are in the men’s team. The team is well balanced with experience and youth. We are a very strong team,” Harmeet told IANS.

The Indian team has already shown that it can compete with some of the strongest sides in the world, and Harmeet believes the key will be to perform collectively when the opportunity arrives.

“We have performed well in the Asian Games when we have beaten top teams. We will try to perform well against strong teams in the Asian Games as a team. On a given day, when our form is good, we have beaten good teams. “We will try to win a medal this time as well,’ he said.

Harmeet also pointed to the regular exposure Indian players are getting against top Asian opposition through international tournaments as an important factor behind the team’s growing confidence.

“We play with Japan, Chinese, Koreans on a regular basis. Whether it is a contender tournament, star contender or smash. So now we are quite used to playing against them. And we have to do that training in the same way,” he said.

The Olympian revealed that he also trains extensively in Germany under Chinese coach Fu Yong, which has helped him understand and adapt to the techniques used by some of the world’s leading players.

“I train a lot in Germany under my coach, Fu Yong, who is a Chinese coach. So I go to train under him. Then every player has his own team because of which he trains.

“So I think we have quite gotten used to their techniques. And we have also bettered our style of play. So definitely we are well prepared for this Asian Games,” he added.

Harmeet said the Indian players have also benefited from the changing professional structure around the sport, with athletes now having access to specialised support teams.

“There are a lot of multiple factors. There is more professionalism in table tennis. Everyone has their own team, personal coaches, sparring partners, physiotherapists, physical trainers, and dietitians. So this did not happen before. 5-6 years ago, everyone did not have a personal team,” he said.

According to Harmeet, increased government support, corporate investment and regular leagues have also contributed to the rise of Indian table tennis.

“So there have been a lot of improvements. And everyone’s attitude has changed a lot. Financial support from the government has increased a lot.

“Corporate sponsors have come to table tennis. The league is being held on a regular basis. Which is not the case in any other sport. Indian TT players are getting this exposure very regularly. State leagues and state governments are getting support. So definitely, we are improving at a fast pace,” he said.

Indian table tennis in the Asian Games has evolved from decades of struggle against East Asian powerhouses into a breakthrough era. India won their first-ever medals in 2018 when the men’s team won historic bronze and Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra also added a second Bronze medal. In the 2022 Asian Games, Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee also secured a historic bronze medal in the women’s doubles event.