India’s top paddler G. Sathiyan, who commentated on the Ultimate Table Tennis final after his team Dabang Smashers had bowed out in the semifinals, spoke to The Hindu about the UTT, impact of playing in the European league and respect for Indian players in leagues worldwide. Excerpts .
Your thoughts on watching and commentating the UTT title match from the broadcast room?
My first experience in a commentary box was exciting. It is a whole new perspective to comment on a live table tennis match. I think it was easier playing.
UTT offered opportunity for Indians to test themselves against international players and you rose to the occasion. How did you manage to stay undefeated?
I was in good form (going into the event). Just a week before UTT, I had beaten World No. 36 Chen Chien An from Taipei at the Australian Open and played a seven-setter against No. 16 Simon Gauzy of France (now 14th). I carried that form into the UTT.
I played more aggressively and prepared strategically for every match. I felt the short format of a game really helped the underdog. Performing is about getting it right and going for the strokes from the first point and putting the opponent under pressure.
Did your foreign league exposure come in handy, like overcoming the awe while facing more experienced, higher ranked opponents?
Yes, definitely. The exposure did not make us feel intimidated and made me feel I really can beat them. It was new playing them on our soil. Exposure in foreign leagues and international pro Tour events is useful.
The Indian men’s standard is quite good as we have four in the top 100 [Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, Soumyajit Ghosh apart from Sathiyan]. We have beaten some top players in the world and most of them train and compete in leagues abroad.
Will UTT performances result in more doors opening for Indian internationals in Europe or Asia?
I think people will now get more familiar with Indian players and this will help us find better leagues in Europe. Most of them (event promoters) are aware of the Indian players personally. Everyone all over the world has huge respect for the Indian team. With the UTT being a grand success, we can expect more players coming to India in the future.
The UTT will help us get due importance.