The Indian table tennis team's preparations in an Olympic qualification year have hit a major roadblock with the players having to fend for themselves without a coach, following a path-breaking 2018.
The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and the Sports Authority of India, which is the employer of all coaches, are still far from finding Massimo Costantini's successor five months after the Asian Games, where India ended a 60-year-wait for a table tennis medal.
India, in fact, got two medals from Jakarta with the men's team and the mixed doubles pairing of Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra winning a bronze each. The unprecedented performance at Asiad has raised hopes of an Olympic medal, mainly in mixed doubles.
The final approval comes from the Sports Ministry. A SAI official said "the process is on for finding a suitable coach".
Besides the stellar Asian Games performance, Indian table tennis recorded its best-ever showing at the Commonwealth Games with eight medals, including two gold from Manika Batra (singles and women's team).
India's finest player, Sharath Kamal, who recently won a record ninth national title, has already said that without a full-time coach, the team is losing momentum it gained last year.
Another TTFI official feared that the appointment could be delayed by months with the general elections to be held in the first half of the year.
"When the election dates are announced, the model conduct of conduct will be in place. Then I doubt that the appointment of a head coach will be a priority," the official said.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)