Harmeet hoping to play in France soon

Confident that his work visa will be approved soon

New route: Harmeet has decided to switch to France as he has the option of playing lesser number of matches.

Harmeet Desai, the reigning Commonwealth table tennis champion and India’s third-best player, is hoping to fly out of the country sometime in August to play in the French league, which begins in October.

“The process for the work visa is on. Once that is done quickly, I will leave possibly in August,” the 27-year-old told The Hindu on Monday from Surat.

Harmeet said the reason for shifting to France from Germany — he played for TTCOE Bad Homburg last year — was the option to play a lesser number of matches.

“One of the major reasons why I moved to the second division French club (Loire Nord TTC) was that I could also compete in the domestic circuit, play a few tournaments for my employer ONGC and concentrate on Pro Tours as well,” said the World No.72.

Training with a robot

Back home, Harmeet has not been crippled by the lockdown. He sparred with a robot for the first few months and is now practising with a friend.

“The COVID-19 cases in Surat have not subsided, but flights have started operating. Having a work visa, the chances of my booking a flight is high,” he said.