GANDHIDHAM, April 25: Manush Shah suffered a heartbreaking loss in the semi-finals as Gujarat’s challenge in the 83rd Senior National and Inter State Table Tennis Championship -2021 ended on Monday in Shillong, Meghalaya.
Up against the legendary Achanta Sharath Kamal of PSPB, Manush did well to win the first game 11-9. However, Sharath Kamal relied on his years of experience to bounce back as he surged ahead by winning the next two games 11-5, 12-10.
Manush, who looked in great form despite recovering from a shoulder injury, then levelled the tie by winning the fourth game 11-7. But the youngster from Vadodara lacked the experience of his seasoned opponent as Sharath Kamal fought hard to win the fifth game 18-16 before sealing the deal by winning the sixth game 11-8.
“It was a tough match for Manush against the legend of Indian table tennis. But the youngster made us proud with his performance. I am sure in the coming days, he will scare new heights. My heartiest congratulations to him,” GSTTA president Mr Vipul Mittra, IAS, said.
Manush was the lone Gujarat player remaining in the fray after Surat’s Harmeet Desai suffered a 1-4 loss against Haryana’s Soumyajit Ghosh in the Round of 16 and his PSPB teammate and citymate Manav Thakkar suffered a 2-4 loss against Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in the quarters.
