Olympics 2024 Table Tennis: A campaign of firsts for India

India's table tennis campaign at the Paris Olympics 2024 came to an end on Wednesday, with the women's team's elimination in the quarterfinals against Germany.

India had sent a six-member contingent to the Paris Olympics, two more than the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Importantly, this was the first time the Indians qualified for the team events at the Paris Olympics. 

Aside from the two teams, Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, Manika Batra, and Sreeja Akula also featured in the singles event in Paris. Manav Thakkar and Archana Kamath were part of the Indian men's and women's teams, respectively. 

Although the Indian team will return home without medals, they have shown the world that Indian table tennis is on the rise with a lot of positives to take from the campaign. 

Men's singles

The men's singles left a lot to be desired, especially from veteran Sharath Kamal. 

Harmeet Desai: Tough draw but tougher spirit shown

Harmeet Desai, 31, made his Olympic debut in Paris and had a tournament to remember with a spirited performance. 

He was drawn against Zaid Abo Yaman of Jordan in the preliminary round, but made no fuss, winning the game in straight games 4-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5). 

He faced World No.5 and French prodigy Felix Lebrun in the round of 64. It was too steep of a challenge for the Indian paddler, who lost the match despite playing at his best. Harmeet lost the match 4-0 (8-11, 8-11, 6-11, 8-11) in front of a vociferous home crowd cheering Lebrun. 

Sharath Kamal: A disappointing end to a legendary career

Paris Olympics was extra special for Sharath Kamal. For starters, it was his fifth Olympic appearance and the 42-year-old's last, and on top of it, he was the flag bearer of India at the opening ceremony, an honour he shared with shuttler PV Sindhu. 

But at the table tennis court, Sharath's dream came to an abrupt end, with a defeat to lower-ranked Deni Kozul in his first match. The Slovenian took the game to the veteran paddler's court. Sharath Kamal lost the match 2-4 (12-10, 9-11, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 10-12). 

The man who proceeded to the third round in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, his best finish, Sharath Kamal would be bitterly disappointed with how his singles campaign panned out at the Paris Olympics. 

Women's singles 

It was the Indian women who carried India's flag to new highs at the Paris Olympics, performing brilliantly. 

Manika Batra: Taking India to new highs

There were a lot of questions on Manika Batra's form leading up to the Olympics. The hope further went downhill when she was handed a rather tricky draw.

But Manika took it all in stride. After getting past Great Britain's Anne Hursey 4-1 (11-8, 12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5), she was pitted against Indian-origin Frenchwoman Prithika Pavade, the World No.18. 

Against Pavade, who had the passionate home crowd rallying behind her, Manika put on a solid show. She decimated the French paddler in straight games 4-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7) and became the first-ever Indian paddler to qualify for the round of 16 in the Olympics. 

In the round of 16, she faced an even tougher opponent in Japan's Miu Hirano, and the Japanese got the better of the Indian, but not before the Indian put on show some excellent skills. Manika lost the match 1-4 (6-11, 9-11, 14-12, 8-11, 6-11).  

Sreeja Akula: An Olympic debut to be proud of

Sreeja Akula came into the Paris Olympics as India's highest-ranked player, at World No. 25, and performed beyond everyone's expectations. 

She made light work of Sweden's Christina Kallberg in her first match, winning 4-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8). Facing Zeng Jian in the round of 32, Sreeja displayed a high degree of skill and tenacity, getting past the Singapore paddler 4-2 (9-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, 12-10).  

Just a day after Manika, Sreeja became the second Indian paddler to qualify for the round of 16 of the Olympics. 

Her round of 16 opponent was world no.1 Sun Yingsha. Coming into the game, not many had a lot of hope for the Indian. But not Sreeja Akula. 

She played her absolute best paddle game in the first two games. She led both games and had a multiple-game-point advantage. But the thing with facing someone like Sun Yingsha is that you can never take your foot down. 

The World No.1 Chinese paddler saved nine game points across two games in what could only be described as a comeback for the ages. She then applied the finishing touches, winning 4-0 (12-10, 12-10, 11-8, 11-3). 

Despite the loss, Sreeja Akula announced to the world that she belongs at the highest level. She also went up three positions in the latest WTT rankings, becoming the highest-ever-ranked Indian paddler in singles at World No.22. 

Men's team

The Indian men's team was hit with quite possibly the toughest draw possible, getting China in the round of 16, who made light work of the Indians in the ensuing match, winning 3-0. 

With that, Sharath Kamal's Olympic career drew to a close. 

Women's team

There was a spark of hope when the women's team defeated Romania in the round of 16. But that hope evaporated when India faced Germany in the quarter-finals. 

The German challenge proved too difficult for India, although on paper India had the stronger team. 19-year-old Annett Kaufmann, the World No.100, rose to the occasion and defeated both Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula in her singles matches, setting up the win for Germany in spectacular fashion. 

Put together, the Paris Olympics was a step in the right direction for Indian table tennis. A lot of positives can be taken from the campaign and it leaves a lot of optimism for the coming years, in a sport India are yet to make a lasting impression.