There is something or a lot of things being done right in India today when it comes to sports administration — as sporting achievements in a diverse array of sports disciplines like say Table Tennis at the global level show, with an almost podium level finish at the Olympics in one of the fastest racket sports perhaps second only to squash.

Elated at the advance of Indian men, and more important women table tennis stars, bursting onto the world of table tennis with victories against the best in the world is the greatest advertisement of dreaming big, and working hard to achieve them with a clear cut focus, national table tennis coach Sourav Chakraborty, a celebrated player himself, believes that the success formula was a combination of spotting the right talent and encouraging it to bloom and become world beaters.

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That’s why, of late, Indian paddlers are in the news for the right, and happy reasons, beating the top-ranked players in the world. And more often than not, Indian players are holding their own against the best in the business – say a Mannika Batra or a Sharat Kamal, a Sreeja Akula or a Ahikiya Mukherjee putting it across their rivals on the other side of the table without even bothering about their reputation, ranking on status in the TT world.

”At the World Championships at Busan in March 2024, winning two matches against China and beating world number one and two is something that dreams are made of. You can imagine, I was fortunate to be present there with the team,” said Sourav, who himself is a celebrated national and international player. At present, he works as a national coach, assisting Massimo Costantini, the head coach of the Indian TT team.

He believes that it was government support, and less of interference, introduction of well-meaning schemes that tapped the right talent and groomed them, and the emergence of the private sector in actively engaging with the sports and sportspersons as the reason for doing well across sporting disciplines, and more so in the table tennis arena.

Now in Chennai with his wards participating in the World Table Tennis Star Contender – Chennai 2025 event, coach Sourav spoke with The Statesman on the sport, its stars, and future in a quick interview.

“Compared to what we were getting in the olden days and what the players are getting today, it is fantastic now. The government, the The Sports Authority of India(SAI) and the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and even participation of private players in organising events — since 2017 the game of table tennis has changed drastically for the good,” he said and added, “what events like these are doing is that Indian players are getting exposed to world level players, interacting with them, playing alongside them and against them. In the process they have lost the fear factor that used to play on their minds earlier,” Sourav said.

If players like Manjit Dua or Kamlesh Mehta or Manmeet Singh, and Sudhir Phadke had contributed to the game immensely, as also Iconic Indu Puri ji, today’s stars like Mannika Batra or a Sharat Kamal have lifted the game in the eyes of countless supporters and masses alike. And have become icons themselves, in the process, Sourav, who has been coaching the Indian men and women’s teams told this correspondent.

“If players like Mannika, Sreeja, Ahikiya from the womens’ team and Sharat Kamal, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah are doing absolutely wonderful, the players of Younger generation — the stars of tomorrow — give us the confidence that India is on the right growth path as far as table tennis is concerned, he said. Sourav, one of the country’s best left-handed players, used to be fearless and stylish and had the ability to make his opponents dance around the table and tire them. He made a name for himself in India and the TT world.

“I think what has happened in table tennis is that today’s players and even tomorrow’s have developed trust in belief in themselves that they beat the best in the world. Sharat is a phenomenon in himself, and we have all seen how Mannika Batra has become the TT’s greatest ambassador with her quiet demeanour and aggressive on-table heroics. Offscreen, when one learns she let go of offers from films to focus on table tennis, she won the respect of many genuine sports lovers,” Sourav said.

How easy or difficult is it for the coaching staff to do their job?

“The Indian players are now mature enough and are capable of carrying out any mid-match strategy changes that we as coaches may come up with. At this level, the players only need that little and crucial guidance that a coach with a big picture view of the happening match can provide, just in time. These players are capable of executing the game plan,” he said, and declared that Mannika, Sreeja, and Ahikiya will all go a long distance. Diya, the current national women’s champion is younger and she has beaten all her Indian competition and is an exciting prospect. Among the future of TT in India are Manav Thakkar, Manush, and Yashaswini.

Given that table tennis is a costly sport — with rubbers, rackets, sporting gear and the need for a hall to keep a table and above all coaching, does it not exclude players coming from modest backgrounds as far as finances are concerned?

This is where sports administration in the country in the past few years has changed the scenario, with talent spotting getting focused like never before. Now you have projects like Khelo India that are hugely supportive of the class of youngsters who otherwise may not have a look in earlier. They are supporting a lot of talent, in table tennis, and in other sports disciplines as well. In TT alone, 120 players are supported by the different government programmes.

“They are choosing the best ones, talent-wise. The processes are nice. For this, there are committees, and players who have played the sport are in the committee. This committee goes for the best and supports talented ones.

“The TTFI is supporting so much, and it is only the players who are getting the support would truly understand. Today, nobody, no player has financial stress on them, as everything is looked after and provided for; their job is to go out and perform, and perform what they are doing, and how. “Now some players are having their own sponsors. Yes, the entry of the corporate sector into the game has lifted its standards as their contribution is something that is invaluable. Would not be proper to take names, but yes, the situation today is far better than, say, four or five decades ago,” Sourav Chakraborty said.

Almost a podium finish at the Olympics is something that these guys and gals have already achieved, and in the process, setting benchmarks for the youngsters to follow – the next generation of icons in the making.

Even the Indian team of yore, with Manjit Dua, Kamlesh Mehta, Manmeet Singh, Sudhir Phadke, were also fantastic, and at one time they powered India to the 12th position in the world. They had also contributed individually and collectively to the sport, and who can forget the iconic Indu Puri, said Sourav in respectful homage to the players he grew up watching and got inspired from.