Sharath Kamal during his farewell in Chennai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: R. Ravindran
The WTT Star Contender here is done and dusted. There were plenty of upsets and several new faces caught the eye. However, for the first few days of the global event, the tournament was all about Sharath Kamal in his swansong.
Sharath was given a fitting farewell after his pre-quarterfinal round defeat to compatriot S.F.R. Snehit at the Nehru Indoor Stadium on Saturday. He played an exhibition match with Egypt’s Omar Assar and was presented a plaque by the organisers.
The Indian star couldn’t have asked for a better send-off in his hometown. The 42-year-old deserves every bit of applause coming his way for no other Indian paddler has done one third of what Sharath has achieved. The Commonwealth Games and Asian Games medallist has single-handedly made India a force to reckon with on the global arena.
Can there be another Indian paddler like Sharath? Yes, there could be in the future, but as a person, he is a one-off. Calm and composed with the media, when asked tough questions, Sharath has been more often than not genuine in his replies.
As Massimo Costantini, the Indian team head coach, said the other day: “Players love his presence, and he will be missed.”
Now, as an administrator or as a high-performance director, there will be huge expectations from Sharath. How well he balances his role to manage the interests of players and officials will be followed with interest.
Published – March 30, 2025 07:02 pm IST