How a determined Manush and his diligent coach Gosain plotted their way to the top Premium

Manush Shah wins National table tennis championship with coach Shailesh Gosain, aiming for top-60 world ranking by 2025.

On the evening of the Republic Day in Surat, a bespectacled Manush Shah — having opted for a time-out after losing his first championship point — did his reverse-spin forehand serve, Payas Jain returned it to the southpaw’s backhand, Manush turned around and sealed the issue with a trademark down-the-line forehand top-spin winner.

As the paddler let out a loud scream along with a fist-pump, another bespectacled veteran sitting in the gallery rushed close to the arena. Shailesh Gosain, donning a light blue T-shirt, had driven down from Vadodara a couple of days earlier hoping that his ward would go all the way.

While coach Gosain leaned forward to hug Manush, the new men’s senior National table tennis king, the protege touched his feet before falling into his arms. “Mera kaam ho gaya (my task has been achieved),” said Gosain with a sense of pride and fulfilment.

That moment underlined how much the National championship triumph meant for the two. After all, for well over a decade, they have been putting in the hard yards in the princely town of Vadodara, mostly famous for cricket.

“We have been thinking about this day ever since he won the sub-junior National championship in 2015 in Kolkata. Table tennis means the world to him, and he means as much to me as the game,” Gosain told The Hindu minutes after clicking a picture of Manush with the coveted trophy.

“When his father brought him to me, the family was considering relocating overseas due to Manush’s health issues. But once he started improving and winning at district and State levels with ease even before entering his teens, there was no way he was going anywhere,” the coach recalled.

Manush echoed Gosain’s views, but he was a tad disappointed though not really surprised to know that his guru had started the drive back home. “The first time I dreamt of becoming the National champion was in 2015 when I stood on top of the podium in Kolkata. I am delighted to achieve this feat in my home State in front of my well-wishers,” said Manush.