"She deserved it but why not me" - Sanil Shetty dispirited after missing out on Arjuna Award

Indian men’s Table Tennis player Sanil Shetty has opened up on feeling overwhelmed after missing out on the Arjuna Award this year.

On November 30, 2022, a total of 25 sportspeople were conferred with the Arjuna Award by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The Arjuna Award is the second highest ranking sporting honor in Indian sports and is awarded to athletes for their excellence in the field of sports across the country.

On November 5, Sanil had posted an image on his Twitter handle shortly after missing his name from the list of recipients of the prestigious award. The image showed the accumulation of points from 2018 to 2022 along with the notable achievements of three Indian TT players. He captioned:

“I was hoping for a call but it hasn't come through yet. The Arjuna Awards recommendations have been sealed but the wait just gets longer.”

Telangana’s Sreeja Akula was the only recipient of the Arjuna Award in 2022 from the Table Tennis fraternity. The 24-year-old won her maiden Senior National Table Tennis Championship in the category of women’s singles in April and added a Commonwealth Games gold in mixed doubles alongside Sharath Kamal in August.

Sanil, on the other hand, was part of the four-member men’s team that bagged their second gold medal in a row for the team event at the Commonwealth Games. The Mumbai-based paddler played India’s Round 3 fixture against Northern Ireland, where he blanked Paul McCreery 3-0 (11-5, 15-13 & 11-6).

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda at the AVSC Table Tennis Academy in Hyderabad, the 33-year-old expressed how he felt dejected for not meeting expectations.

"This year, I was very confident (to win the Arjuna award). If you have two gold and one bronze and one Asian Championship bronze. Like if you have four medals and if you calculate the points, you have better points than the other two players. I thought this year I have a high chance of getting the Arjuna Award. But when I saw the names, it wasn’t on the list. Ok, she deserved it, but why not me?" he said.

Sanil also questioned the process of selecting the recipients, saying:

"I don’t know how they calculate. If you see the points table, I had better points than two of them. Because for next year these two medals won’t be considered. I am not sure but I assume in the Table Tennis (fraternity) I will be the only player who has got two gold medals in two games but not be awarded the Arjuna award."

He further mentioned how the disappointment had shattered him internally and how he managed to overcome it.

“At that moment I felt very bad and was very heavy. But at the end of the day, if you have to get it you will get it. That day I didn’t practice and took off. I was in the room a bit upset. But after two days I started normal training and then I said, "If not, this year, maybe next year." Because it’s not in my hands. I can't do too much,” Sanil said.

"Sharath Kamal should have got this award long back" - Sanil Shetty on Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

Veteran paddler Sharath Kamal was the only player to receive the highest sporting honor, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The swashbuckling player from Chennai starred in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games this year with three golds and a silver medal, taking his overall medal tally to 13 at the quadrennial event.

Sanil was elated for his senior teammate, whom he has played along with as well as competed against numerous times, and felt the veteran should already have received the award by now. He said,

“For him, it’s a very big achievement. I think he should have got this award long back. He truly deserves this award and for the sport, I think it’s a great thing because only two players have got the Dhyan Chand award.”

Sanil also said that Sharath, who became the second Table Tennis player to receive the Khel Ratna after Manika Batra in 2020, has created a benchmark for the next generation of players. He said,

“One is Manika Batra and the other is Sharat Kamal. So this also sets a good benchmark for the upcoming and young players that we have to reach this level to achieve this and everybody has that target within themselves to prove to them that they can also win this award.”

He added,

“Before Manika and Sharat Bhaiya, we were only focusing on the Arjuna award. It was the biggest award for Table Tennis players and it was difficult beyond that. But now it's Dhyan Chand and it's a good thing for the sport.”