Harmeet Desai Optimistic About Indian Men's TT Team's Prospects at Paris Olympics

Experienced table tennis player Harmeet Desai is confident that the Indian men's table tennis team has a strong chance of excelling at the Paris Olympics. Having previously won against top teams, Desai believes that their preparation and self-belief can lead them to success. The team will compete in both team and individual events, with significant contributions from government schemes and Ultimate Table Tennis aiding their progress.

Experienced table tennis player Harmeet Desai believes the Indian men's TT team has ''a very good chance'' of reaching the optimum level of performance at the Paris Olympics and beat any side on its day, having prepared in earnest for the Games.

The Olympics will begin in the French capital on Friday with a grand opening ceremony in the iconic Seine river. ''On a given day, I think we really have a very good chance of beating any team. We have won against top teams in the world in the past and it is possible this time also if we give our best. ''In the Olympics, if all three of us can put on the best show then anything is possible,'' the 31-year-old said during an interview with Ultimate Table Tennis.

He played an important role in helping India clinch Commonwealth Games gold medals in 2018 and 2022.

Desai is part of the Indian men's team along with Achanta Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran. He will also be competing in the individual events.

Desai's confidence stems from the fact that the Indian men's team had defeated the mighty Japan in the quarter-finals to clinch the bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games.

Speaking about the rise of Indian table tennis on the world stage, Desai credited the government's various schemes and the launch of Ultimate Table Tennis in 2017 for the development of the sport.

''UTT has helped us get more experience and exposure to play with international players and get guidance from foreign coaches. That was not the case before 2017. ''So, this kind of experience has helped the players get more self-belief and perform well in the international arena,'' he said.

The Indian table tennis contingent created history earlier this year when both the men's and women's teams qualified for the Olympics for the first time and the preparatory camps, in Bengaluru from June 7-16 and in Saarbrucken, Germany earlier this month, were focused on working out the perfect combinations for the team events. The Indian men's team will face China in the opening round while the women's side will open their campaign against Romania. The individual events will be played from July 27 to August 4 whereas the team events are scheduled from August 5 to 10.

(With inputs from agencies.)