Published>Tue, Nov 23 10 10:24 AM
It's the semi-finals of the Delhi cluster of the CBSE table tennis championships being held at Hansraj school. This is one of the most prestigious school-level table tennis tournaments in India.
But the players in the U-19 category are clearly distracted; many seem rusty. The players, most of whom are in Class XII, are almost on the cusp of the exam season and, as an open mathematics guide book on a chair indicates, the upcoming pre-boards and subsequent boards are proving quite distracting.
Coach Sandeep Gupta says "honestly speaking, it's difficult for a Delhi player to make a mark on the national scene. So getting admission to a top college has always been the main objective of a player."
Vidit Chawla lost his match comprehensively to eventual winner Kartik Kukreja. However, he isn't upset by the outcome. "I have had no practice for the last two months. The only reason I am playing is so that I can keep in touch with the game.
"There is no table tennis academy near my home. In any case, after the board exams I will have around two months to prepare before the university trials. I plan to join an academy after my exams so that I can make up on the lack of practice. This tournament will be the last before I start concentrating completely on studies," he says.
Tournament winner Kartik Kukreja too has his priorities clearly mapped out. "I plan on studying Economic Honours in St. Stephen's or in SRCC. I'm good in studies. I regularly score above 90 per cent but the competition is quite tough, so even if I come through the sports category, I will need to keep my grades high. So while earlier I would train for upwards of 5 hours a day through the week, nowadays I just train on weekends."
Having won the tournament, Kukreja, like losing finalist Anuj Khandelwal, will go to Nagpur to play in the CBSE school nationals from December 26. Play though won't be the only thing on his mind. "I will be taking my books as well. My pre-boards will begin in January and I can't lose touch with studies either," he says.
It's only Anuj Khandelwal who claims he is practicing with the same intensity as before, although this too comes with a rider. "The CBSE nationals will be my final tournament this year. I got to the quarterfinals last year. This time I hope to get to the finals," he says before quickly adding in the same breath, "a top India placing will really help when I apply for college."
Even 14-year-old Sabhya Virmani, a student of class IX and the youngest player in his division, admits he has been giving thought to which college he wants to go to. "Everyone plays table tennis for fun, but I also know that the sport can help me get into a good college. But for the moment I am concentrating only on winning." With a wry smile he adds, "In three years even I will be thinking the same way as the others."
Source: Web Search
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