Paris Olympics 2024: India outclassed by China in men's table tennis team Round of 16 clash

Sharath Kamal played his last Games match for India at the Paris Olympics 2024.

The Indian men’s table tennis team lost to China 3-0 in the Round of 16 at the 2024 Paris Olympics. With the loss, the Indian men’s team of Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar and Harmeet Desai have been eliminated from the sporting megafest.

Chinese table tennis veteran Ma Long teamed up with Wang Chuqin to face the Indian pair of Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar in the first match of the fixture. Five-time Olympic gold medalist, Ma Long didn’t represent China in the men’s singles event.

However, the Chinese veteran returned to play for his nation at the men’s team event. Facing India’s Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar, the Chinese duo made an error in the first point of the opening game. However, they later took a huge lead over India and sealed the first game 2-11.

Following the momentum, the duo of Long and Wang won the first match in 20 minutes, with the scoreline reading 11-2, 11-3, 11-7. In the second match, the Indian flag-bearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sharath Kamal, stepped up against Fan Zhendong.

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The 27-year-old Chinese has won the men’s singles gold medal at the Paris Games. He defeated Sweden’s Truls Möregårdh 4-1 in the gold medal match. Despite a disastrous start in the match, Kamal sealed the first game against Zhendong with a stellar backhand 11-9. In the second game, the 42-year-old gave away an early lead to the Chinese; however, he didn’t fail to exhibit his precise positioning.

Utilizing his forehand, the Indian veteran tried to close the lead but eventually lost the second game 7-11. Zhendong tried to force the match on his backhand, which helped him avoid Kamal’s forehand, which is the Indian table tennis star’s strength. Despite all the challenges, the 42-year-old gave a gritty performance against the Paris gold medalist.

Sharath Kamal failed to anticipate Zhendong’s shots in the later games and lost the second match in four games. In the third match, Manav Thakkar locked horns against Wang Chuqin. Interestingly, Chuqin was eliminated in the Round of 16 of the men’s singles event at the Paris Games. However, he won the mixed doubles gold alongside Sun Yingsha.

Facing Wang Chuqin, Manav Thakkar gave tough competition to the Chinese. The tough 9-11 fight in the first game ended in Wang Chuqin’s favour. In the second game, Manav Thakkar was constantly counter-attacking, utilizing Wang’s speed. Nevertheless, the game again found Manav Thakkar on the losing end.

Thakkar’s best performance came in the third game, where he took a 7-3 lead over the Chinese table tennis star. However, he gave away the lead and India lost the match 3-0 against World No. 1 China. Additionally, it was Sharath Kamal’s last Olympic match for the nation.

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