India, March 22 -- Twenty-two years into playing professional table tennis, Sharath Kamal realised time had come to pull the plug during the Asian Championships last October. "I felt, 'No man, I'm done. I can't do this anymore'."

Not because the five-time Olympian, whose longevity earned him the Commonwealth Games singles gold in 2006 and 2022 and multiple CWG and two Asian Games medals, stopped enjoying it. "I thought if I don't take that step, I might miss the bus in providing a lot more in my next role - to support the next generation of players."

As the most decorated Indian paddler gears up for his home swansong at the WTT Star Contender Chennai next week, he chats with HT on how he's seen Indian TT evolve through his long journey ...