Sharath Kamal has been left to search for a playing partner after Manika Batra and G. Sathiyan decided to join forces. More than the decision, the way the issue was handled has hurt Sharath.
“Forget my seniority, as a teammate, I expected them to tell me about their plans. I learnt it from a text message shared by a fellow player,” said Sharath, the only table tennis player to receive the Padma Shri for his enormous contribution to the sport.
“I will take a call once I resume my training next week and plan ahead,” said Sharath.
READ: First batch of Indian athletes leaves for Tokyo
For the record, Manika had informed Sharath about her decision in an email. On his part, Sathiyan wrote to the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) indicating that the duo had set its sights on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
No show-cause yet
The TTFI Executive Board, on August 4, took a unanimous decision to issue a show-cause notice to Manika for “indiscipline” during the Tokyo Olympics, and she was to respond within 10 days. However, the show-cause notice has not been served on her yet.
On Tuesday, a non-committal TTFI secretary Arun Banerjee sought more time to explain the delay in issuing the show-cause notice. “I will be able to talk about the matter on Thursday,” he said.
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