"Tbh, there was no fight" - Fans disappointed with Sharath Kamal's performance in his last Olympic appearance
The Indian men's Table Tennis team, featuring ace paddler Sharath Kamal, crashed out of the 2024 Paris Olympics. They lost to China in their Round of 16 match on Tuesday (August 6). The team, featuring Sharath, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar, lost 3-0 in a one-sided affair.
Following the loss, the Indian team, particularly Sharath, has had to face the brunt of criticism. Kamal, who was playing his last ever Olympic Games, looked only a shadow of himself.
Harmeet and Manav were the first to lose their doubles match against Ma Long and Wang Chuqin. The duo went down in three straight sets, giving China a 1-0 lead.
Sharath Kamal came in next with a lot of expectations riding on him, given his experience. However, the 42-year-old failed to overcome the challenge. Though he won the first game, Kamal eventually lost 11-9, 7-11, 7-11,5-11 to Fan Zhendong.
China completed the whitewash in the third match and qualified for the next round. Wang Chuqin beat Manav Thakkar 11-9, 11-6, 11-9 to take an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Post the disappointing show, veteran paddler Sharath has had to face the most brickbats. The Indian supporters have been extremely vocal in their criticism. The fans took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express their anger.
"Tbh, there was no fight!! Sharath Kamal and Deepika Kumari are the biggest fraudsters for India in their respective game!! They will play extremely well in small tournaments but when it comes to OLYMPICS they might even lose against 3rd grade teams too," a fan commented.
Another fan expressed their disappointment and wrote:
"Giving sharath kamal the flag was the biggest blunder. Just give the flag to whoever has the best record rather than who is the oldest and longest."
"Sharath Kamal is similar to Deepika from Archery, same results in all his Olympics, wonder how he makes it to the team every time," said a fan.
"India Ki Population 1.4 Billion Hai lekin 2 proper Table Tennis Player Nahi Hain," expressed a fan.
"I am not following table tennis but looking the @sharathkamal1 today and in last singles match, he is nowhere looking to win match and also not looks that playing to win the match. May be he won some national or commonwealth but if can't win Olympic then what use of experience," said an Indian fan.
"Remove sharath kamal he’s just Deepika of TT," a user wrote on X.
Sharath Kamal returns home empty-handed from his last Summer Games
Sharath Kamal, along with the Indian men's TT contingent, will return home from the Summer Games in Paris without any medals to show. The three-member team failed to win India its first-ever TT Olympic medal.
For Sharath, an Arjuna Award winner, his career will end without the coveted Olympic medal. Kamal had also lost in the men's singles round of 64 to Deni Kozul of Slovenia. Harmeet Desai also had made a second-round exit in the men's singles.
However, India will continue to hope for a medal in TT as Indian women have made it to the quarter-finals of the team event. They will face Germany in their last-eight encounter on Wednesday, August 7.