Sharath to spearhead Indian challenge in World TT

New Delhi: Sharath Kamal will spearhead the Indian challenge in the World Table Tennis Championships at Rotterdam May 8-15.

Besides Kamal, Amalraj Anthony, Soumyadeep Roy, Abhishek Ravichandran and Subhajit Saha are in the men`s team, while Shamini Kumaresan, Madhurika Patkar, Poloumi Ghatak, Mouma Das, Mamata Prabhu make up the women`s team. The 10-member squad is currently undergoing a training camp in China and will leave for the mega-event Friday. Chief coach Kamlesh Mehta says India are a force to reckon with amongst the Commonwealth countries but they have a long a way to go before they make a mark on the international stage. He said that the tournament is an opportunity for the players to improve their world rankings."I am expecting Sharath to pull-off an upset or two. For the rest, it is an opportunity to collect crucial ranking points. The team is in good shape and the camp in China proved to be useful before an event like this," Mehta told IANS Thursday. Sharath, ranked 54th, will lead the men`s charge while Shamini Kumaresan will shoulder the responsibility in the women`s category. The week-long tournament will see participants from 142 countries competing in five categories - men`s singles, men`s doubles, women`s singles, women`s doubles and mixed doubles. It will be the first time that all matches will be streamed live on the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) website. Team: Men: Sharath Kamal, Amalraj Anthony, Soumyadeep Roy, Abhishek Ravichandran, Subhajit Saha. Women: Shamini Kumaresan, Madhurika Patkar, Poloumi Ghatak, Mouma Das, Mamata Prabhu. IANS