Sweet 16 at 40: After Melbourne 2006, Achanta Sharath Kamal triumphs in Birmingham 2022

But then Henzell completely changed his tactics. Known for his fast-paced game, Henzell played slow and close to the net. It meant that Sharath had to completely change his aggressive style of play too. Being a strong forehand player then, Sharath had to quickly adapt to Henzell’s backhand topspin shots and managed to take the high-octane best-of-seven match 4-3.

That’s really been the story of Sharath’s table tennis journey so far. ‘So far’, because even at 40, there’s no sign of him stopping. One of the hallmarks of his game is that throughout his career – he adapts quickly to his opponent’s playing style and then beats them at their own game. Sixteen years after the Melbourne triumph, it has brought him his second Commonwealth men’s singles gold, at the Birmingham Games.

🥇KAMAL KA KAMAAL🔥@sharathkamal1 🏓wins against Liam (ENG) (4-1) (11-13, 11-7, 11-2, 11-6, 11-8) in the #TableTennis Men’s Singles event at the #CommonwealthGames2022

With this win, Sharath Kamal has bagged an overall 7🥇 medals at the CWG in different categories🤩 pic.twitter.com/OC3vBo47iS

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) August 8, 2022

Three games stand out at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The first being his singles match in the semifinal of the men’s team event against Nigeria’s top player Aruna Quadri. In one of the best matches of the Games, Sharath, the current World No. 39, dished out a table tennis masterclass to Aruna. The Indian won the first game 11-9 before Aruna fought back brilliantly to win the second 11-7. One could be forgiven for thinking the tide was turning in Aruna’s favour but Sharath, unleashing some power-hitting, dominated Aruna 11-8 in the third before clinching a rather dramatic fourth game 15-13 to give India a 2-0 lead in the match.

The second was his men’s singles semifinal against England’s Paul Drinkhall. The Englishman matched Sharath’s speed, meaning India’s 10-time national champion had to be quicker than he usually is. Attacking Drinkhall’s backhand with his thunderous forehand, Sharath managed to win the match 4-3 to reach the final.

Then, of course, there was the men’s singles final against Liam Pitchford of England on Monday. After losing the opening game to the World No. 20, Sharath decided to be overtly aggressive and it worked in his favour as he closed out the match 4-1 for his third gold in Birmingham.

#BIGBREAKING

#SharathKamal Wins his Third Gold🥇of #CWG2022 #TableTennis

— Richa Sharma (@Rich_aaaaa) August 8, 2022

Tactical and mental strength

Neha Aggarwal Sharma, who partnered Sharath at the 2008 Olympics, has seen him from close quarters, and more importantly, has seen how he’s altered his game throughout his career to stay at the top.

“We all know that Sharath is the best Indian table tennis player but I don’t think we actually know how good he is. We have good Indian players but really nobody can match Sharath’s level because he’s tactically and mentally very strong,” she told The Indian Express.

Neha says it’s his years of playing in the German Bundesliga that have helped him grow tremendously.

“When you play in the World Table Tennis (WTT) events, you come across all kinds of players and all of them play at a very high level. And Sharath has played abroad for countless years, giving him that experience that nobody else has. I don’t think there’s any opponent or any style of play that he fears. He knows how to deal with anything that gets thrown at him,” she said.

While he’s dominated at the Commonwealth Games, his goal of an Olympic and Asian Games singles medal remains. He’s had quite a few memorable matches though. The game against eventual winner Ma Long at the Tokyo Olympics will never be forgotten.

Sharath faced Long, who was defending the title he won in 2016, in the third round of the tournament. He snatched the second game away from the then World No. 3 and took the third game to the tie-breaker before eventually losing the match in five games. Even taking a game out of Long was considered an achievement.

It’s not that he’s always been the technically strong player that he is. Neha says that before 2010 he wasn’t very strong with his backhands. She says he gladly acknowledged his shortcomings and decided to work on them.

“He’s always been a player with ferocious forehands. A foreign coach of his at the time asked him to work on his backhands. Sharath realised that to be a complete player and have that kind of longevity, he would have to become an all-round player. That’s what he went about doing,” she said.

Despite being such an experienced player, Sharath is always curious to learn about the opponent, according to his brother Rajath, who’s part of the technical staff of the Indian team.

“There’s nothing you can teach Sharath technique-wise. You just have to have discussions with him. The more we talk about a player’s technique, the more strategies he develops in his head and is ready to execute them. The best part is that he doesn’t mind trying new strategies,” Rajath said.