Banana-flick receiving of Lin Yun-ju troubled Sharath Kamal-Manika Batra, says Olympian Kamlesh Mehta
The Indian mixed doubles pair of Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra looked toothless in their approach in the Round of 16 clash.
Twelveth seeded Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra's campaign in the mixed doubles event at Tokyo 2020 lasted for only 27 minutes on Saturday. Up against third seeded Chinese Taipei pair of Lin Yun-ju and Cheng I-Ching in the Round of 16, the Indians lost in straight games.
Two-time Olympian Kamlesh Mehta observed that it was the banana-flick receiving technique used by Lin Yun-ju which caused the major trouble for the Indian pair. He, however, feels that Sharath and Manika should have been prepared to face the superior seeds in the mixed doubles event.
"The difference in the match was basically the banana-flick receiving of Lin Yun-ju. It is one of the world's best tactics and it upset the rhythm of Sharath and Manika," Mehta, who was also a national coach, told Olympics.com
"There were times when we put them in a bit of difficulty but I think this receiving from the Chinese Taipei players helped them turn the match in their favour," he added.
Mehta, captain of the Indian table tennis team from 1982 to 1989, also highlighted that Sharath and Manika should have put the pressure on their stronger opponents by capitalizing on their slender leads in the first-two games.
"I personally feel the first two games, in the first one we had an edge. It is important to build pressure on the higher-ranked players but we lost eight points in a row. Had we been able to capitalize on that game, it would have boosted our confidence and put pressure on the opponents," the 61-year-old said.
"In the second game, we had a little edge with the service on our hand but we couldn't capitalize on that. In the third game we took a time out and helped us narrow down on their lead. But again the last game was very one sided. The Chinese Taipei pair was in full swing," he added.
The eight-time national champion, however, credited veteran paddler Sharath who is making his fourth appearance at the Olympics.
"Sharath Kamal is quicker and fitter now. And you could see his strokes and timings. He had hit some very good shots but somehow the opponents played over-riding shots," Mehta said.
The Indian table tennis contingent will now have their hopes pinned on the singles events at Tokyo 2020.