Hosting Olympics, CWG could be game-changing for India: Harmeet Desai
Olympian Harmeet Desai also spoke about the legacy of Sharath Kamal and his LA2028 aspirations.
Harmeet Desai is one of the top table tennis players set to participate in the WTT Star Contender Chennai, scheduled from March 25 to March 30 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, India. The event will see India fielding 19 athletes competing across various categories, including women’s singles, mixed doubles, men’s doubles, and women’s doubles.
Desai has been one of India’s leading table tennis players, with successful outings at the Asian Games, Asian Championships, and South Asian Games, along with his medal-winning feats at the Commonwealth Games. For his contributions to the sport, he was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2019.
Ahead of the tournament, Khel Now had the opportunity to interact with Desai, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist. He opened up on partnering with Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in the men’s doubles event, Sharath Kamal’s retirement, the growth of table tennis in India, India’s bid for prestigious tournaments, and other key topics during the conversation.
Teaming up with Sathiyan Gnanasekaran
Harmeet Desai, along with another prominent Indian name, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, will compete in the men’s doubles event as they have received a wildcard entry. On teaming up with Gnanasekaran, Desai stated, “I have played with Sathiyan in many major tournaments. We have played with each other in the junior events as well. We got into the national team almost at the same time. So yeah, we know each other well.”
He also shared that with Sharath Kamal set to retire soon, he and Sathiyan have been playing together for the past few months and hope to continue their partnership for a long time.
Table tennis growth in India
Desai spoke about India’s growth in table tennis across the men’s, women’s, junior boys’, and girls’ categories on the international stage, which has led to consistent performances and success in winning medals at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and securing Olympic qualifications.
Desai also credited the government’s support, the UTT League, and the annual WTT events for contributing to the progress. India also hosted the WTT Star Contender in Goa in both 2023 and 2024.
Reflecting on WTT Star Contender in Chennai, he stated, “It gives a lot of opportunity to the young players to witness high-level table tennis and to participate in such a big tournament, which is in the home country. When you see the Olympic medalists or world champions coming to India, you can witness their preparation, how they prepare for every match, or you get so much exposure playing alongside them.”
“This kind of opportunity wasn’t there before. UTT also has been happening for so many years. Indian players are able to go to foreign leagues now or also play international tournaments. More sponsorship is there”, he added that these opportunities overall are the reason behind their improved performance compared to earlier.
Sharath Kamal’s legacy
Earlier this month, Indian table tennis icon Sharath Kamal Achanta announced his retirement, stating that the tournament in Chennai would be his final professional event.
When asked about Kamal’s legacy, Desai reflected on his immense contributions to Indian table tennis, stating, “I mean, the amount of contribution that he has done for Indian table tennis is immense and most of the TT players in India have been inspired by him. We cannot even express it in words because he has done a lot for Indian table tennis before.”
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“The perception of Indian table tennis wasn’t that good in India or abroad. The players used to see the Indian team not as a very strong team. Now if you see, there has been a drastic change in the rankings. He opened the doors for the youngsters because we didn’t know how to pursue forward in table tennis.
“He went for training abroad and the people started to know the talent of Indian players also abroad. More and more players started to play leagues and get training abroad.”
With Kamal having already accomplished major awards and medals, Desai aims to win an Olympic medal for India in the coming years as a way to honour the 42-year-old’s contributions, “He won the Arjuna award, Padma Shri, Khel Ratna, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medals, and played in five Olympics.
“So, I mean, he has almost picked all the boxes in his career. Only the eluded thing would be the Olympic medal. But definitely, we will try to bring that for India in the coming years so that his contribution definitely makes an impact.”
Olympic debut in Paris and LA 2028
Harmeet Desai made his Olympic debut at the Paris Olympics where he featured in the men’s singles and team event. Recounting his experience, he commented, “I was really excited, and my experience was also really good. I won my first-round match and then I lost to the ultimate bronze medalist, Félix Lebrun in the second round. But yeah, my experience was really good, and I got to learn from my mistakes.”
When asked about food quality at the Paris Olympics, he said it wasn’t an issue for him but pointed out other organizational shortcomings in Paris Games village. Desai mentioned the lack of air conditioning in rooms despite the heat, the uncomfortable hot bus rides where windows couldn’t be opened, and the challenges of getting food on time due to overcrowding in the village.
He added that he has set his sights on the Los Angeles Olympics, where his goal will be to compete in three events, “I have my sights on LA2028 where I would like to improve myself and make better performance there. I would like to participate in all three events – singles, team and mixed doubles in the upcoming quadrennial games.”
Also Read: Top five youngest players to become table tennis World No. 1
Winning Ultimate Table Tennis twice with Goa Challengers
After contributing majorly to Goa Challengers’ title wins in 2023 and 2024 at the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), Harmeet Desai shared his experience of competing at the league saying, “Yeah, I mean, the last two seasons have been really good. I’m really happy with the way things have turned out in the UTT league and also the kind of league they have created. It’s quite huge.”
“Every foreign player wants to be a part of this UTT league and such high-level matches and intensity because the format is a bit different. So, it gives a lot of excitement to players and the viewers,” the 31-year-old also mentioned. Desai went on to show his excitement about Gujarat, his home state, hosting the 2025 season.
Partnership with wife Krittwika Sinha Roy and whether fans can expect more of it in the future
Although he usually pairs with Yashaswini Ghorpade, including their upcoming participation in the WTT Star Contender in Chennai, and has achieved good results with her, Harmeet and his wife, Krittwika Sinha Roy, found success when they partnered in Venezuela.
Reflecting on their performance, Desai said, “it was a very good experience because we didn’t think we would be so good in the mixed doubles event. We tried out for the very first time and it worked out really well. I am a bit confident that if we can practice more, we can really play well.
“Initially when we had paired up around seven-eight years ago, it didn’t work out that well. So, we didn’t think that we might be able to do well in the international arena. But in Venezuela, it worked out fine. I feel maybe our maturity and understanding of each other’s game is much better now than what it used to be. So, let’s see if we can get back together in the future or not.”
Also Read: WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025: Prize Money, India’s rise and other things to know
India’s bid for Commonwealth Games 2030 and Summer Olympics 2036
The Surat-born athlete further expressed his thoughts on India showing interest in hosting the Commonwealth Games 2030 and the Summer Olympics 2036. He said: “I think it’s India’s time now. It’s very much important to host these kinds of events for people to know how important sport is in everyone’s life. And when these kinds of events happen, a lot of changes come into the mindset of people and the perspective towards sports, different changes.”
“I am really optimistic that if this kind of thing happens, it will definitely change the course of sports in India. It can be a game changing thing for India and India can be among the top 10 countries in the world in sports, which we are quite behind at the moment. But definitely these things can change that,” he further added.
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