In a turn of events brought about by the refusal of Manika Batra to attend the National table tennis camp for Olympic-bound players in Sonepat (Haryana) from June 20, India’s top paddler Sharath Kamal has been forced to make changes in his travel schedule. Sharath and Manika will compete in the mixed doubles event at the Tokyo Olympics.
His hands tied, the nine-time National champion will travel to Pune and train with Manika twice. “I will train with Manika in Pune for a week from June 15, and then go to the National camp. After around 15 days at the camp where I will focus on singles, I will return to Pune to practice with Manika for about 10 days. And then maybe return to Chennai. Let’s see. Of course, it is tiring and a minor risk [to travel back and forth] in the pandemic, but do I have a choice,” said Sharath to The Hindu here on Wednesday.
