India’s men’s tennis team failed to beat China in the Paris 2024 Olympics and they have been out of the competition, which means that Sharath will retire without any Olympic medal.
Indian men’s table tennis match team, which featured champion Achanta Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar, went through a very sad at the Olympics in Paris 2024. The next day, after they lost the match of 16 with a score of 0-3 against China, the top-seeded team, India, was outplayed, and the defense was feeble due to low response, and we may say that we lost to a better team. In the case of Sharath Kamal, who has already declared that this will be his final table tennis .
Olympic appearance, the defeat was much more painful. He finally achieved a long and brilliant Olympic career, but unfortunately, without an Olympic medal. The Opening Setback: Desai and Thakkar Overwhelmed by Chinese Legends.
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The table tennis Olympic match began with men’s doubles in which Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar played against the Chinese giant Ma Long and the new entry to the World’s top-ranked singles Wang Chuqin. Ma Long, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, combined with Wang Chuqin, and thus, they became a very powerful couple that immediately moved the Indian duo on the backfoot.
The Chinese pair started the game and won it by a margin of 11-2. The Indian duo was too weak in their table tennis match attacking and almost-perfect performance, which enabled them to keep up with the Chinese.
The second game was also relatively easy for the Chinese, who again showed their superior skill, and in the end, they won the match 11-3. Despite their better performance in the third game, it was not enough to match the Chinese’s level, and they finally lost 7-11. Consequently, China won the opening match 3-0, which was the reason for the rest of the tie to be very hectic, and the Indian team was under a lot of pressure.
Sharath Kamal’s Valiant Effort Against Fan Zhendong
India’s 0-1 deficit led the attention to the veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal, who played table tennis full match with the 2nd best and Olympic winner Fan Zhendong in the first singles match. Kamal, who is No. 41 in the World and a well-known table tennis player in India, was given the incredibly tough task of saving India’s chances against one of the World’s best players in their sport.
Kamal, with unbeatable coolness and intention, began the first game impressively with an 11-9 lead. The meticulous calculation, especially on the backhand, left Indian hope raised for a short time, and the quick interference of the Chinese top player reclaimed the position of the best table tennis match player in the World.
He modified his strategy, setting (up) an airtight defense and performing an enfiladed attack on the forehand, which caused Kamal to go here and there in the table. The next three games showed Fan’s superiority, as he won 11-7, 11-7, and 11-5. This defeat put India down 0-2, and now they are on the verge of elimination.
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Final Blow: Manav Thakkar’s Struggle Against Wang Chuqin
At the third and most likely deciding table tennis full match, the 24-year-old Manav Thakkar had been given the tough task of facing Wang Chuqin. India needed a victory to still be in the competition, and Thakkar had to cope with the heavy burden of having to go up against an already successful opponent.
The 59th best in the World, Thakkar fought bravely, especially in the first game, where he made Wang have his best run.
The first game was hard-fought, and it was Thakkar who exhibited his agility and resilience, but in the end, he was defeated 9-11. In the second game, Wang Chuqin uplifted his performance with the aid of Thakkar’s weaknesses, thereby winning 11-6. The third game was yet another tough game, with Thakkar giving everything to make sure India remains hopeful.
Nonetheless, Wang’s superior skills and experience became evident as he triumphed 11-9. This victory confirmed China’s 3-0 win in the tie and, thus, ended India’s quest in the men’s table tennis event at the Paris Olympics.
The End of an Era: Sharath Kamal’s Olympic Journey
For Sharath Kamal, this defeat was excruciating. Celebrated as a representative of India at the table tennis Olympics on five occasions, Kamal had visualized a perfect ending with an Olympic medal. His commitment and love of the game have made Kamal, for over 20 years, an Indian table tennis icon.
In addition to his many Commonwealth Games victories, He also reached number 33, the highest spot on the World ranking list during his career. Still, a triumphant Olympic medal eludes him, and with the team’s exit in Paris, he would be finally picking up his Olympic dreams.
The Paris Olympics were an iconic moment for Kamal as he led the Indian flag with the famous badminton star PV Sindhu at the opening ceremony. His last Olympics was imagined as the main event of his vast career, and hence, the disappointments of both the team and individual events having such early exits felt much more complicated to take.
In defeat, too, Kamal’s standing in Indian sports was thus assured as the young man took with him a career of many firsts, a path that has, in his wake, not only produced talent but inspired many a young player throughout the nation.
Reference:
https://www.sportskeeda.com/summer-olympics/news-paris-olympics-2024-table-tennis-indian-men-s-team-bows-3-0-china-round-16-sharath-kamal-s-journey-ends-without-olympic-medal
https://sports.ndtv.com/olympics-2024/indian-mens-table-tennis-team-bows-out-after-loss-to-china-in-round-of-16-6275567
https://bhaskarlive.in/paris-olympics-indian-mens-tt-team-bows-out-with-loss-to-china-in-opener/
https://olympics.com/en/news/paris-2024-olympics-table-tennis-india-vs-china-round-of-16-results
https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1215219