Soumyajit hopeful of national team comeback after good run in National Games 2022

Soumyajit Ghosh has been going through a rather lean patch after rape allegations surfaced against him in 2018.

Soumyajit Ghosh of Haryana after winning against Gujarat’s Manush Shah. | Photo Credit: FARUQUI AM

Paddler Soumyajit Ghosh may possess immense talent but consistency is what has been woefully lacking in the 29-year-old Olympian.

Although he won the National-ranking (Central Zone) tournament in Bhavnagar in 2019 and reached the final of the North Zone ranking tournament in Panchkula last year, Ghosh has been otherwise going through a rather lean patch after rape allegations surfaced against him in 2018.

He has now put on more weight, but his sharpness in attack and anticipation has been quite good during the 36th National Games in Gujarat.

Ghosh reached his maiden Games table tennis final on Saturday, with an 8-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-5, 11-9 win over Manush Shah of Gujarat. Ghosh will meet another local favourite Harmeet Desai in the final. Harmeet put Tamil Nadu’s Sathiyan, the top seed, out in the semifinals.

“I have to reduce weight. I am not able to control my eating habits. The good run here could be a turning point in getting back to the Indian team,” Ghosh told Sportstar.

In the women’s final, Sutirtha Mukherjee of West Bengal will take on Telangana’s Sreeja Akula. Sutirtha ousted top seed Manika Batra of Delhi in the semifinals while Sreeja removed Diya Chitale of Maharashtra.

The results (semifinals):

Men: Harmeet Desai (Guj) bt G. Sathiyan (TN) 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9; Soumyajit Ghosh (WB) bt Manush Shah (Guj) 8-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-5, 11-9.

Women: Sutirtha Mukherjee (WB) bt Manika Batra (Del) 11-6, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6; Sreeja Akula (TS) bt Diya Chitale (Mah) 11-2, 11-9, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5.