I know I have it in me to win big-ticket tournaments, asserts Harmeet Desai

26-year old Harmeet Desai was a known name in the Indian table tennis fraternity having shown signs of promise early on in his career. The Indian youngster had failed to achieve any success on an individual level in recent years but all that changed after last week's win at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship in Cuttack. 

Desai went up against top-ranked Indian singles' player - G Sathiyan - in the final. The Surat-born lad kept his calm and clinched a win by a scoreline of 9-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-8, 17-15,7-11,11-9 to win his first major international singles title.

"I have known Sathiyan for a very long time and know how to tackle him but things were not going my way. Then for the first time, I realized that instead of going for my shots, as I do usually, I should be patient and just try to keep the ball in play and wait for Sathiyan to commit mistakes. 

"I knew I have it in me to win singles crowns at big-ticket tournaments but was lacking in self-belief. Though I have beaten a few former top 20 players before and such wins always teach you something, but this triumph has helped me rediscover myself," Desai told TOI. 

Desai, who won bronze in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, had earlier also bagged a gold and a bronze in men's team and doubles respectively at 2018 Gold Coast. The Indian paddler also has another two gold medals at 2015 Commonwealth TT.

"It feels great to know that I am third-best international ranked singles player in India after Sathiyan (24) and Sharath Kamal (32). Last February I had my best world ranking when I was 60th but it has slipped since. However, now with new confidence, it will surely improve," Desai added.