I believe I can beat any player: India no.3 Manush Shah
Strap: Vadodara’s Manush is brimming with confidence and is ready to make the next big move
Gandhidham 11, March: From getting into table tennis just by chance to winning medals for the country for the past many years, Vadodara’s prolific paddler Manush Shah has indeed come a long way. At the tender age of 10, he fell from a height and injured himself while at school. Doctors restricted him to play outdoor sports and hence the dream of being a cricketer was nipped in the bud and he made the move towards table tennis. And rest, as they say, is history.
Today, at 23, Manush is India no.3, beat legendary Sharath Kamal recently and aims for an Olympic spot. Currently slogging it out in Germany, the southpaw opened up about his plans and more.
Excerpts from the chat
Q: The Indian team has qualified for the Paris Olympics. How do you see your chances?
A: It is indeed a moment of pride for all of us. The whole team has worked very hard to make this dream come true. Personally, it’s a dream to represent India in the Olympics. I will do what’s in my hands. I am playing four international tournaments in the next four weeks to get international points and push my world ranking (current WR 175) up and present myself with a good chance by the time TTFI announces the team.
Q: You have been in good form in the recent months.
A: I made it to the final of the national ranking meet held in Panchkula in December 2023 where I lost to my state-mate Harmeet Desai. I had lost to legendary paddler and my mentor A Sharath Kamal in the inter-institutional final in August 2023. However, I took a sweet revenge during our quarterfinal encounter at the Senior National Championship held in Panchkula in the last week of December. In fact, I conceded just 18 points to hand him his worst loss in 23 national championship appearances since 1998.
Q: Sharath has been your mentor for a long time. What did he say after this huge defeat?
A: That was my maiden win over the legend of our sport. After the match, he praised me and said that this was the best he had seen me play. It’s such a big compliment from a player of his stature.
Q: You debuted in the Indian team at the World Team Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) in Chengdu, China 2022. What were your top learnings?
A: Indian team defeated second seed Germany in group stage. Seeing that iconic victory pan out in front of my eyes instilled a new belief in me. I think India may be behind in world rankings but we are a very competitive unit at international level.
Q: How was your experience at the Asian Championship in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2023?
A: I was part of the Indian team for the WTTC in September 2022 but at the Asian Championship, it was the first time that my mentor Sharath was also part of the Indian team. He is an absolute legend who has performed consistently for so many years. I learnt how he takes pressure as a challenge and how he uses his experience to turn a match around.
Q: The one thing that has changed in you in the past few years?
A: Every player keeps improving in the game but the one thing that stands out for me is the belief I have to beat any player of any team on any day. This belief is consistently growing at a good pace.
Q: Talk about your physical and mental fitness regime.
A: Since 2018, I have been training at Sports Dynamic in Chennai. My workouts are programmed in three parts: before match plan, match week plan and training week plan. For the last three years, I have been working with Gayatri Vartak for my mental conditioning. The challenge was to control my aggression. With her help, now I know mentally where I should be in the game with my aggression and defence. She has given me a lot of clarity in my head.
Q. Your message to upcoming Gujarat paddlers?
A: When I started my career, I never thought of making it big or was worried about my results. To the upcoming players, I suggest they follow the process and not think about the result or how fast can I reach the top. You will never know when the right time will come and things will fall in the right place.
Q. Any plans to pursue further studies?
A. I just finished my B.Com from MSU, Vadodara. I tried for the CAT but it is difficult with so much travelling. I already have a secured job as assistant manager in the Reserve Bank of India.