Achanta Sharath Kamal
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A profile
The Times of India, May 9, 2015
Achanta Sharath Kamal is one of the best tabletennis players India has produced.
This talented Tamil Nadu player showed his mettle in 2004, winning the men's gold at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. He also won the gold in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. He then shifted base to Europe, playing in the lucrative leagues there. After stopovers in Spain and Sweden, he is currently based in Germany and ranked No. 32 in the world.
2025: Career highlights
M Sudharshan, March 6, 2025: The Times of India
Chennai : Indian table tennis legend A Sharath Kamal will call time on a lengthy and illustrious career later this month. Also to go will be that iconic bandana, a permanent fixture in Indian sports over the past couple of decades. “This is certainly the end for us on the big tables, in front of the big crowds. Time to give my bandana and racket some rest,” the legend said here on Wednesday.
On top of his game for more than 22 years, and having resisted the temptation of lasting another Olympic cycle, Sharath, at 42, could be forgiven for feeling a bit nostalgic. “I played my first international tournament — Asian Juniors — in my hometown and I will be playing my last international tournament also in Chennai,” he said. The WTT Star Contender event here, later this month, will be his final outing.
Sharath won several accolades at the national and international levels. The Padma Shri and Khel Ratna awardee secured multiple gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, made significant contributions at the Asian Games and represented India in as many as five Olympic Games. His greatest contribution, perhaps, is to have helped make table tennis and himself a household name in India. On Wednesday, amid all the emotion of his announcement, Sharath took TOI along for a trip down memory lane. Excerpts…
How do you look back at the long journey?
It’s gratifying. More than for myself, for the people around me, my parents, coaches and family. I think they’re proud of what I have done for myself. I wish it never ended, but all good things must come to an end.
What was the best moment of your career?
It’s very tough to say just one, but personally, I had two really good outings. One was the Tokyo Olympics, when I played against Ma Long, the Olympic champion back then. That was one of the finest matches that I ever played (despite losing 1-4). The biggest thing that changed the face of Indian table tennis were the Asian Games medals in 2018. For the first time in 60 years, India won a table tennis medal at the Asian Games.
Any regrets?
I wish there was more money and support back in my early days. But I’m really happy that the sport has come such a long way. From being an extracurricular activity, it’s becoming much more professional. Today, people understand what it takes to be a sportsperson and what it takes to achieve anything in sport. Ten years ago, when you said that you wanted to play sport, people wondered what you were doing with your life.
How did you deal with the tough periods?
In 2011, from 38, I fell to 94 in the rankings. Slowly, things were shaping up again and I returned to world No. 32. Later, I had a career-threatening hamstring injury and had no clue whether I would be able to go to Rio Olympics). I had thought that my best would come in Rio, but then, mere qualification for the Olympics became tough. From 2017, the second innings of Sharath Kamal started. I did not win gold medals between 2010 and 2020, but I have a lot of bronze medals from that time, all of them complete team efforts. The number of highs in my second innings have been unbelievable. Between 2017 and 2024, we won two bronze medals at the Asiad, had a successful 2022 (which included multiple CWG medals), and I was India’s flag bearer in Paris.
What’s the secret of your longevity?
That I was able to adapt to changes, I guess, has proved most important. I continued to work hard and was mostly out of my comfort zone. Generally, as senior athletes, when you get into your comfort zone, you continue to remain in it, not wanting to change. Often, without changes, you are not going to move forward. I have been fortunate to have coaches who made me work in uncharted waters.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
● Holds the record for winning the national title a record 10 times.
● Achieved a career-best ranking of world No. 30.
● Part of the historic bronze-medal winning teams (men’s and mixed doubles) in 2018 Asian Games.
● Won 7 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games.
● Only Indian paddler to win two ITTF Pro Tour titles.
Year-wise statistics
2020
Wins Oman title
Kabeer Khan, March 16, 2020: The Times of India
I am tired but I cannot stop smiling,” an exhausted Sharath Kamal exclaimed through the phone from Oman after beating top seed Marcos Freitas to win his first tour title after 10 years at the Oman Open in Muscat on Sunday.
The 37-year-old paddler beat world No. 26 Portuguese 6-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9, 3-11, 17-15 in the summit clash, which seemed well under fourth seed Sharath’s control.
Sharath lost the first game, owing the Freitas’ brilliance where he executed the backhand push perfectly. The world No. 38 was furious after the game. “I was not connecting my shots perfectly. But I knew where I had to make the amends. I just had to get into the rhythm,” Sharath told TOI.
