Sharath Kamal takes a solid stand in Manika Batra-TTFI controversy

India's most experienced table tennis player A Sharath Kamal has finally opened up about the entire controversy surrounding Manika Batra and the TTFI, with the former stating that no player should have a problem attending the national camp, and the federation cannot crack a whip on the players until they bring a proper system in place. 

“For me, the essential aspect of a national camp is to work together and get better together. Alone, we can’t go too far. Sure, if Manika practices alone, or Sathiyan or Sharath train in Chennai, they could excel. But nobody else is going to benefit from that. The youngsters - the likes of Manav Thakkar and Archana Kamath - need to benefit as well, and we need to build that structure for them. You can’t just say, “OK, I’ve done my part and I’ll walk away”. You need to come into the camps where each one helps the other get better,” Sharath said. 

“Instead of all of us having an individual fitness coach, why can’t there be one fitness coach overseeing us?” Sharath said. “Of course, you will have your personal support staff, and also the differences with the national staff. Fine, but let your fitness coach talk to the national fitness coach and sort it out, or your personal coach talk to the national coach and say, “these are the things we’ve been working on, this is where I feel he or she lacks, this is the kind of training we can think of”. As a personal coach, you know the player much better. So share that. And get done with it.”  

As for the TTFI, Sharath indicated that there is work to be done from their side as well. “It’s important to have the camp but also important to have physios, female physios and masseurs for women players, sparring partners, etc. We need a panel of coaches, at least 1-2 foreign coaches. We’re not asking for something five-star, this is the basic stuff which is necessary in any training camp. The national camp should be buzzing like a beehive, where players should want to go,” Sharath said. 

“Here, they are whipping the lash. As important as camps are, it’s up to the federation to give us the basics. You can whip the lash when you have those things in place. Without having those things in place, saying you need to attend a camp, with a two-day prior notice, is not the way forward.” 

Meanwhile, Sharath said that he has sent a list of requirements to the TTFI before the next camp in held.