Indian Table Tennis Team Ready To Surprise At Tokyo Olympics

As the Indian table tennis team gears up for the Tokyo Games, coach Soumyadeep Roy calls this the golden generation that has the best chance of bringing home India's first Olympic medal in the sport. Star player Manika Batra says that she is ready to surprise.

The table tennis field at the Tokyo Olympics will be extremely competitive but India is hopeful of bringing home a historic medal. The table tennis squad will leave for Japan next week. The quartet of Manika Batra, Sharath Kamal, G Sathiyan and Sutirtha Mukherjee, along with coach coach Soumyadeep Roy spoke exclusively to NDTV ahead of the Tokyo Games. "This is the best team we have ever sent to the Olympics. We are in a situation where everything is tough, but they have made sacrifices and determination, hard work and goals, preparation of all the athletes over a period of 3 or 4 years," coach Soumyadeep Roy said. The team travelling from India will have to serve three days isolation period before they can access the venues. The players have prepared for this unprecedented situation. Sharath Kamal, a three-time Olympic veteran, who will now play in his 4th Olympics says, "I think the Olympic Games are going to be very different, given the current scenario around the world with the restrictions and rules. Understanding the rules during competition and before competition are all going to take a little bit of our mind. This will be the best Olympics for all of us."