Achanta Sharath Kamal aims for double Gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

Kamal may be on the wrong side of his 30s, but the Tamil Nadu born Table Tennis player is far from done as far as the game was concerned. Kamal managed to clinch Gold at the 2006 CWG in Melbourne as he defeated local favorite Australian William Henzell in the final and he went on to help the Indian Table Tennis team defeat Singapore to seal a double Gold triumph in Melbourne.

"The ranking system has changed completely and the more you play, the better it is. That is one of the reasons why six of us are in the top-100. Having said that, the boys are doing really well and we really have a strong squad."

Sharath added that India has indeed come a long way as far as rankings are concerned but there’s still a lot of work left to do in terms of winning medals. India’s rivals England and Nigeria, who performed better at the 2014 edition of the tournament have improved as well and will pose a threat at the upcoming games for sure.

"CWG is the only major multi-sporting event where we are expected to win medals. So considering that, the Glasgow performance was a huge disappointment. Because of that there is going to be extra pressure in Gold Coast but we are ready," world number 71 Sharath added.

"The preparations have been good since September. I was happy to win the nationals (a record 8th trophy), it gave me the momentum I needed. Things I have been working on, both physically and mentally, have come along finally," Sharath added.