Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 11: Senior Indian paddler G Sathiyan believes the national table tennis team has the right blend of youth and experience to produce its best-ever performance at the Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Japan in September and October.
With veteran Sharath Kamal retiring from international table tennis last year, the 33-year-old Sathiyan will spearhead a squad featuring emerging talents such as Payas Jain and Syndrela Das.
"For almost a decade I have played with him (Sharath Kamal) in the team and we have learnt a lot. The best part about him is he never lets the age gap come between us and that is what I have learnt," Sathiyan told PTI on the sidelines of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT).
"It is really important to connect with the youngsters as well. Share your ideas but listen to them. Give them that space of what they really want to do. Let them do their own style," he said.
Calling leadership a privilege, Sathiyan said he was ready to shoulder the responsibility of guiding the younger members of the team.
"Pressure is a privilege. Yes, there is pressure on being a senior member and handling the youngsters, a mix of them. But this is what we have been playing for. I am pretty sure with Manav (Thakkar), Manush (Shah), Harmeet (Desai) and Payas (Jain), we have a great mix of young and experienced side."
"I am pretty sure we will deliver the best performance India has ever seen in the Asian Games. (But) having Sharath in the team was always a great thing because he would take the pressure from us and take the team so smoothly," he added.
Sathiyan, who won a bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games, said he was approaching the tournament with confidence rather than desperation.
"I would not say (there is) desperation. We are really confident with the way we have just played, prepared really well. When you get really nervous about what is going to happen, then it adds a negative pressure to it," he said.
"It is really important to be positive, trusting your training like how I trusted my conditioning work. The team has really trained well together. And UTT being a great preparation heading into the Asian Games, I am pretty sure this team will give the best performance in Japan," Sathiyan added.
Reflecting on the knee injury he suffered earlier this year, Sathiyan described it as a blessing in disguise, allowing him to focus on improving his fitness.
"I would say the injury at this time was a blessing in disguise that I really needed that kind of a fitness break," he said.
"It was a forced fitness break to keep myself because I feel at this point of my career, it was really important to work on my fitness because playing back-to-back tournaments is not viable. You cannot just keep playing tournaments one after the other."
The India No. 3 said he had become more selective about his tournament schedule following the injury sustained during the Singapore Smash in February.
"After that injury in Singapore Smash in February, I have just played one tournament -- the World Championships," Sathiyan said.
"I have done a lot of strength and conditioning training with my fitness trainer, with the Reliance Foundation, which has been supporting me really well."
"I have been working with them and really happy to come back stronger and prepare and be ready at the right time for the Asian Games. I have given a lot of importance to fitness and the mental part as well when going into big games like the Asian Games," he added.