India’s best singles player G. Sathiyan joined the table tennis team, at the Nehru Stadium Hall of TT here, on the final day of the preparatory camp for the World Team Qualification tournament [for 2020 Tokyo Olympics] in Gondomar (Portugal).
Fine-tuning
Sathiyan and A. Amalraj played a few games against Sharath Kamal and Harmeet Desai to fine-tune the doubles strategy.
Sathiyan finished off the match with a forehand down-the-line winner, relaxed a bit and engaged Sharath in a discussion. Amalraj soon joined in.
Sathiyan said it was important the team found the right pair for the doubles, which plays a very crucial role in the qualifiers.
“It is the first match in the tie. Also, those forming the doubles pair may play only one singles each. We have to plan very carefully. That’s why we are trying out all possible pairs.
“We’ve some clear ideas and strategies. We will continue similar training in Dusseldorf [from Jan. 13 to 20],” said Sathiyan, who is the top-ranked Indian in the world at 30. Sathiyan said he had a great, week-long training stint in South Korea, where he sparred with the top players of the country.
Great experience
“It was a great experience, the infrastructure [at the Korean National Training Centre] was fantastic."
Sathiyan said the Gondomar tournament would not be a cakewalk.
“We have a good chance [to qualify], but it is not going to be easy. It is a knockout system [round of 64]. A lot depends on the draw. There are tough teams like Croatia and Hong Kong.
“We are ready for everything as everybody is in good shape and I am confident we will make the cut,” the 26-year-old Arjuna awardee said.
Sathiyan leaves for Germany on Wednesday to play for his team ASV Grunwettersbach in the German Cup semifinals.
Harmeet, the third-best Indian at 85th in the world, said the camp had helped understand one another’s game better and ensure the camaraderie remains strong.
“The [six] days [in Chennai] have greatly helped the team.
“The camaraderie has never been like this. This will be key in performing well in the qualifiers,” he said.
