Indian table tennis may not be making a splash abroad but the future looks bright for India.
Not long ago, four Indian paddlers qualified for Rio Olympics 2016 after winning their respective groups at the Asian Olympic Qualification event in Hong Kong.
Maharashtra's Pooja Sahasrabuddhe is ranked no. 3 in India. She got the better of India's top-ranked paddler Manika Batra (11-7, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10, 5-11, 11-7) in the Rio 2016 qualifiers.
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But she failed to make the cut after Manika Batra and Mouma Das booked an August date in Rio de Janerio.
Expecting upsets from all our players in Rio 2016
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, she says, "I missed the Rio berth by a whisker this time but I will try to bring home a medal from the 2018 Commonwealth Games. I want to represent India at the 2020 Olympics."
Pooja, a consistent performer for India with great potential, won two gold and one silver medal at the 2016 Senior National Championship.
She believes it's a good thing for the future of the sport in our country that four players will be representing India in the singles event this August.
"I am excited at the prospect of watching Soumyajit and Manika since they have improved remarkably in the last couple of years," she says.
Pooja started playing in 1999 when she used to accompany her sister to the local club. After her father passed away in 2000, she decided to take up table tennis professionally on the insistence of her coach.
She went on to win the under-10 district level competition that year and thus her journey started.
"When I was 13, while my friends were talking about their career choices and goals, I was sure of my long-term goal," says Pooja.
She has been a regular in the National Championship and has a history of running higher-ranked players close.
“I struggled a lot when I had a very bad patch in 2011-12. I worked harder, changed my practice hours, and gave more importance on mental training. It paid off as I came in the top 3 after the 2013 season,” adds the 24-year-old paddler.
Happily married but still India top priority
Last year, she got married to her friend and former international player, Aniket Koparkar and she believes that was the best decision of her life.
"I was slightly worried about my career post-marriage. But I got great support from Aniket who is now my coach-cum-practice-partner. He plans my schedule so that I don't have to worry much," says Pooja.
Table tennis, unlike cricket, is not limited to a few nations but played all over the world. She says, "The fact that table tennis is a lesser-followed sport in our country makes me sad but then the passion and satisfaction are enough to train hard and pursue the sport."
Pooja is being supported by India’s first athlete-only crowdfunding platform, India For Sports. Anyone who wishes to contribute can click on the link here and help her improve her world ranking.
She says, “India for Sports has been a great platform and helping me a lot. I certainly expect to achieve my campaign goal soon as I shall be utilizing the funds for participating in more international tournaments.”
The biggest lesson Pooja garnered from playing the second fastest game in the world is to accept failure gracefully and to keep working hard.
It won't be wrong to conclude that our paddlers have not got the limelight they deserve. Only when this is a reality, Pooja and our team will get the recognition from the world which is essential for the future of the sport.
