As the Indian Table Tennis contingent is all set to make waves Down Under at the Commonwealth Games, we look at the players taking part in the tournament which has brought the nation considerable success in recent years.

Sharath Kamal

The doyen of table tennis in India, Sharath Kamal, has six medals to his name at the Commonwealth Games, the highlight being a Gold medal at Melbourne in 2006 in the men’s singles category. Sharath is confident of being amongst the medals this time around too, and if he chooses this tournament to be his last showing at the Commonwealth Games, we can be sure that he will back up that confidence with a rich medal haul in the singles and doubles games.

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran

A part-time engineer and full-time paddler from Chennai is currently India’s highest ranked table tennis player in the world and will be leading the charge at his first-ever appearance at the games in Gold Coast, Australia. Sathiyan’s career as a professional has gone from strength to strength, and he will look to add a medal or two to his ever-growing list of laurels.

Anthony Amalraj

The Arjuna awardee, Anthony Amalraj is a veteran in his own right, and already boasts two medals at the Commonwealth Games; a silver and a bronze. He missed a Gold in Glasgow, the only medal that has eluded him, and will be looking to make amends to that, as he finished the last season as India’s no. 1 men’s player.

Harmeet Desai

The 24-year old, currently world no. 74 is another first-timer at the Commonwealth Games, having previously won the under-21 open in Brazil in 2012. He is one of the leading youngsters of the country and will be looking to leave a mark in the tournament.

Sanil Shetty

Sanil has been given a golden opportunity to represent the country at the Commonwealth Games, coming in as a last-minute replacement for Soumyajit Ghosh. Sanil will be participating in his second CWG and will carry the experience of his participation in the Australian Open at Gold Coast last year to aid him in his quest for glory at this year’s competition.

Manika Batra

The young and talented 22-year old Olympian is the unsaid torch-bearer of the nation amongst women at the CWG this year. She has already set her sights on a medal, claiming that “the colour of the medal doesn’t matter to me.” With a maturity that belies her age, there is no question about Manika’s desire and drive. She is one Indian paddler you cannot miss in Gold Coast.

Mouma Das

The veteran from Kolkata already has three CWG medals to her name, in 2006 and 2010, and is a Gold medallist at the World Team Table Tennis Championship, 2016 in the first division. She has forged a very effective partnership recently with Manika, and she will hope to bring her experience into play to be amongst the medals this year in the doubles category

Madhurika Patkar

Another athlete from the Table Tennis contingent to boast a CWG medal is Madhurika Patkar, winning a silver in the women’s team event in 2010 in Delhi, partnering Mouma Das. Madhurika has a multi-dimensional game, as she seamlessly switches between attack and defence, and will look to bring her guile and experience to the fore at this year’s edition in the CWG.

Pooja Sahasrabudhe

Pooja has been the U-17 and U-21 National Champion and is also currently the Inter-Institutional Champion. She is currently ranked no. 4 in India, just below Madhurika, and possess an unplayable backhand that she can always rely on to come in handy when she needs to turn the game her way.

Suthirtha Mukherjee

The youngest paddler to represent India at the CWG games this year, Suthirtha is a bag full of surprises as she upstaged Manika Batra at the National Championships last year. This will be her first appearance at the Commonwealth Games, and this tournament can get the best of her unpredictability as she rounds up the women’s Table Tennis contingent for the CWG.