Olympics 2024: File photo of Harmeet Desai© AFP
Indian table tennis player Harmeet Desai will commence his campaign at the Paris Olympics on the opening day of the competition on Saturday, taking on Zaid Abo Yaman of Jordan in the preliminary round. Commonwealth Games gold medallist Manika Batra, India's current No.1 Sreeja Akula and veteran men's player Achanta Sharath Kamal will be seen in action on Sunday. The 31-year-old Harmeet, who hails from Surat in Gujarat, has won successive team gold at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and Birmingham respectively and also clinched a men's team bronze at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.
With his opponent Abo Yaman not figuring in the top-500 ranking, Harmeet, a top-100 player in the world, should have an easy opener.
Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manika will be up against Great Britain's Anna Hursey in the women's singles opening round, Sharath Kamal will clash with Deni Kozul of Slovenia while 25-year-old Sreeja, seeded 16th, will open her campaign against Swedish player Christina Kallberg on July 28.
Manika, who is seeded 18th at the Games, had become the first women's table tennis player from India to make it to the round of 32 in singles at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Commonwealth Games champion Sharath Kamal, who is spearheading a six-member Indian table tennis contingent and the 41-year-old would look to bow out on a high in his fifth Olympic appearance. Manika, on the other hand, will play at her third successive Games.
She had recently touched a career-best ranking of world No. 24 following her superb run in the Saudi Smash.
Gnanasekaran Sathiyan, a member of India's gold medal-winning men's teams at both the 2018 and 2022 CWG, could not make it to the main squad and has been selected as a reserve player.
In the women's team event, which begins on August 5, 11th-seeded India will open their campaign against fourth seeds Romania. The winners will enter the quarterfinals.
Besides Manika and Sreeja, the third member in the women's team event is Archana Kamath. Ayhika Mukherjee is the reserve player in the category.
The Indian men's team comprising Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar and national champion Harmeet, will have a trial by fire as they will face top-ranked China in the opening round.
The Paris Games will mark the first time that India will compete in the team event at the Olympics. The men's and women's team events in table tennis were introduced at the 2008 Beijing Games.