Manika is a great reader of the game: Sharath Kamal after booking Tokyo 2020 mixed doubles berth
Kamal, who had earlier booked his ticket for the men's singles category, dubbed the win as one of the greatest in mixed doubles
The Indian table tennis mixed doubles pair of Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra confirmed their maiden mixed doubles berth for Tokyo 2020 on Saturday.
The second-ranked pair at the Asian Olympic Qualification tournament beat World No. 5 Korean pair of Sang-Su Lee and Jihee Jeon 4-2 in the finals after clinching six points in a row in the third game to script a phenomenal comeback.
Kamal, who had earlier booked his ticket for the men's singles category, dubbed the win as one of the greatest in mixed doubles.
“I can tell you this is nothing short of phenomenal," Kamal said in an official media release. "It is one of the biggest victories for Manika and me. I have been sleepless since 5 am in the morning and was under a lot of pressure as this was our only shot to qualify for the Olympics."
“We started off with two losses but this victory against such top-ranked players will surely give us the confidence and belief of being strong medal contenders for the Tokyo Games,” he added.
The mixed doubles event in table tennis was added to the Olympics for the Tokyo Games.
Kamal was also mighty impressed with the way his partner Batra controlled the game as it allowed him to play with plenty of liberty. The World No. 32 also believes the fifth game was the turning point as it turned out to be a neck and neck battle.
“Manika was really fantastic and that helped me as I had the liberty to be a lot more creative and play attacking shots. And when I play like that, I am really dangerous. She is a great reader of the game and has played some exceptional table tennis in the last two days,” Kamal said.
Manika, the top-ranked Indian women's player, was satisfied with her array of shots and that she could contain top paddlers like Lee Sang Su and Jion Jihee with it.
"I was really happy with myself to be able to withstand the attack and services of a player like Lee Sang Su and Jion Jihee. Sharath Bhaiya capitalised well with his attack to keep the pressure on them . I am very happy that along with singles we could even make it in maiden mixed doubles by beating the Korean and Singapore pair," she said.
Kamal, Manika, Gnanasekaran Sathiyan and Sutirtha Mukherjee, meanwhile, have also earned themselves a ticket to Tokyo 2020 for the singles category.