Table Tennis: Who after Achanta Sharath Kamal for India?

Achanta Sharath Kamal, a name synonymous, with Indian table tennis bid adieu to the sport on Saturday.

The 42-year-old paddler bowed out of the 2025 WTT Star Contender in front of his home crowd in Chennai following a 0-3 straight games loss to the young Snehit Suravajjula in the men's singles round of 16.

Having made his international debut back in 2003, Sharath was the flag bearer of Indian table tennis for over two decades. 13 Commonwealth Games medals, including seven gold, four Asian C'ships medals – the toughest continental competition in the sport, and five Olympic appearances adorn his glittering career.

Besides, he was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2004, India's fourth highest civilian honour Padma Shri in 2019, and the country's highest sporting honour Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2022.

Sharath Kamal not only seamlessly took over the reins of Indian table tennis from his predecessor Chetan Baboor, a three-time Commonwealth Games medalist and two-time Asian Cup medalist, but also led it to heights never-seen-before.

He played mentor to the next generation of stars, guiding the likes of Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, the fast rising Ankur Bhattacharjee, among others even during his playing days.

Sharath even helped Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, his closest domestic rival, find a European club to train, back in 2015. This was just days after Sathiyan had beaten the veteran for the first time at the National Championships.

As Sharath leaves behind a lasting legacy, the question of who next after him now surfaces.

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran

While Sathiyan was long touted to take over from Sharath when he first broke through, the 32-year-old from Chennai has struggled to match up to the expectations.

He has had his share of success at the highest level, breaking into top 25 of men's singles world rankings, Sathiyan has struggled off late.

Injuries and lack of form has seen him struggle over the last couple of years. With an even younger generation rising through the ranks, Sathiyan is at the risk of falling down the pecking order.

Manav Thakkar

Manav Thakkar has emerged as the most consistent Indian paddler over the last year. A former Youth Olympian, Manav was ranked world No. 1 in the U18 as well as U21 age group categories back in 2018 and 2020 respectively.

The now 24-year-old from Surat has shown great improvement in recent times. He is the highest ranked Indian in the world currently, having achieved the feat for the first time in his career earlier this month.

Interestingly, he is someone that Sharath has taken under his wings. He trains under coach Chris Pfeiffer, Sharath's trusted ally, and a coach at the veteran's academy.

Manav is still a long way from challenging the best in the world, but with a clam head and ability to work out awkward angles on the table, he could well be the one to watch out for.

Manush Shah

Another paddler from Gujarat, Manush Shah is the reigning men's singles national champion. 

The 24-year-old from Vadodara is one of the few left-handed paddlers in the country. He has shown a steady rise over the years and has combined well with Manav to form a potent doubles pair for India.

Blessed with explosive power to dismiss the ball out of his sights, Manush remains a top prospect for India to take over as Sharath's rein comes to an end.

Snehit Suvarajjula

Snehit Suvarajjula was Sharath's doubles partner in his final tournament.

He also brought an end to Sharath's international career, beating him 3-0 in the men's singles R16 at the WTT Star Contender Chennai.

Though the 24-year-old Snehit has often flown under the radar over the years, he seems to be on an upward trajectory.

Snehit is the only Indian to have beaten a top 30 ranked player this season. He achieved the feat when he took down Japan's world No 29 Yuikda Uda in Chennai to set up a R16 clash with Sharath. 

He also earned the distinction of being only the second Indian men's singles paddler after Manav Thakkar to reach the quarter-finals of a WTT Star Contender event, when he beat Sharath.

Payas Jain

Four years younger than Manav and Manush, Delhi's Payas Jain is an exciting young talent. He shot to spotlight after he climbed to world No.1 rank in the U17 category.

Though Payas struggled over the next two years, he seem to be getting back to his best this season. 

Training under coach Aman Balgu alongside the likes of Manika Batra and young Suhana Saini, Payas reached the semi-finals at the 2025 National Championships.

He beat Sathiyan in the quarter-finals during that run. Payas repeated the same feat, taking down Sathiyan in front of the latter's home crowd at the WTT Star Contender Chennai.

Ankur Bhattacharjee

The youngest of the lot, Ankur Bhattacharjee is just 18. The youngster from West Bengal has taken Indian table tennis by storm with his aggressive play and fiery attitude on the table.

While he often comes off as brash, the fact remains Ankur is a serious talent – someone national coach Massimo Costantini believes is the one to watch out for.

Ankur made the world take note of his prodigal talent at the Ultimate Table Tennis last year. He holds three junior bronze medals at the Asian Championships.

He revers Sharath Kamal as "god of Indian table tennis." 

When Sharath pulled out of the team event at the 2025 National Championships in January, it was Ankur who was drafted into the PSPB team to replace the veteran. The teenager led PSPB to a title win.

Sharath, by his own admission, was a late bloomer. He was 20 when he first represented India. This crop of rising stars, however, have already made a mark at much younger age.

Filling in the void which Sharath leaves behind isn't going to be easy, but India table tennis has a strong crop of players to pin their hopes on.