Achanta Sharath Kamal: the legend who transformed Indian table tennis

For more than 20 years, Achanta Sharath Kamal was the face of table tennis in India. He played five Olympics, piled up Commonwealth Games medals and, past age 35, led his country to its first-ever Asian Games table tennis medals. By the time he said goodbye in 2025, India had a whole generation of players he had inspired.

This page sums up Sharath Kamal's career, his main titles and the legacy he leaves.

Who is Sharath Kamal

Achanta Sharath Kamal was born on July 12, 1982, in Chennai (then Madras), in southern India. He is right-handed and plays with the shakehand grip, in a two-winged attacking style. He started as a kid and stood out early in national tournaments.

He was Indian national champion ten times, with his last title in the 2021-22 season. His career-best world ranking was 30th, in 2019.

Five Olympics

Sharath Kamal played five Olympic Games:

• Athens 2004, his debut.
• Beijing 2008.
• Rio 2016.
• Tokyo 2020, held in 2021, where he reached the third round of singles and lost to China's Ma Long, the eventual champion.
• Paris 2024, where he was India's flag bearer at the opening ceremony.

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games, which bring together countries with historic ties to the UK, were the stage for Sharath Kamal's biggest wins. He won 13 medals, seven of them gold, from Melbourne 2006 to Birmingham 2022. Highlights:

At Birmingham 2022, aged 40, he won singles gold again, 16 years after his first title in Melbourne.

2018 Asian Games

At the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Sharath Kamal helped India win team bronze, the country's first table tennis medal at the Games after more than 60 years of trying. A day later he won another bronze, in mixed doubles, with Manika Batra. In the semifinal they lost to China's Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha.

Playing style and longevity

Sharath Kamal is a two-winged attacker with strong topspin and the experience to control the tempo of a match. He played in European club leagues to face strong opponents regularly, the classic route for players from countries without a deep table tennis tradition. See how that works in professional table tennis leagues.

His longevity is remarkable: he was among India's best at 20 and still among the best at 40.

Awards

In India, Sharath Kamal received the country's top sporting and civilian honors:

• The Arjuna Award, in 2004.
• The Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, in 2019.
• The Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting award, in 2022.

Farewell in Chennai

In March 2025, Sharath Kamal announced he would end his career at WTT Star Contender Chennai, in his hometown. His last official match was in the singles round of 16 on March 29, 2025, against fellow Indian Snehit Suravajjula, his doubles partner. He said he had made the decision six months earlier and that it was the right time to stop.

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