Sharath & Co. start favourites as Commonwealth Table Tennis C'ships begin

Indian men's team, led by skipper A Sharath Kamal, will start as favourites when the 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships begins at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here Wednesday.

India are clubbed with Singapore and Scotland in group B, while England, the top-ranked team here and placed in group A, have Sri Lanka and Cyprus for company.

With the format allowing two teams from each group to qualify for the second stage, Sharath and Co. are confident of sweeping the gold medals.

Sharath's calculations are based on the weakest England, Nigeria and Singapore teams that have come here.

"Indeed, we are in the toughest group but since England, Nigeria and Singapore have not fielded their best players, Indian men should win the team and open events," said the winner of 10 medals, including the 2004 singles and team championship gold medals.

Sharath said the way G Sathiyan, ranked No. 24 in the world, has been playing, of late, India would always fancy their chance against even ...