Fan favorite, risk-taker and mentor Venugopal Chandrasekar passes away

Kamlesh Mehta won a message on Saturday asking him to get involved with veteran desk tennis trainer Venugopal Chandrasekar.

“He had simply been admitted to medical institution,” Mehta remembers the dialog. “He mentioned that he used to be alright, that he simply had a light fever and used to be doing this handiest as a precaution.”

Chandrasekar, or Chandra as he used to be fondly referred to as, had had his proportion of sicknesses and every other medical institution consult with gave the impression nearly regimen. However an afternoon later, Mehta says, he used to be shifted to the Extensive Care Unit (ICU) as his situation deteriorated additional and he kicked the bucket on Wednesday morning because of COVID-19-related headaches, elderly 63.

Chandrasekar’s legacy in Indian desk tennis runs proper from Mehta – his first nice adversary within the early 1980s – to Gnanasekaran Sathiyan – his largest scholar and the big name of the present Indian group.

Sathiyan recollects a dialog over telephone with Chandrasekar in February. The 28-year-old had after all gained his first senior nationwide championship after shedding in 3 previous finals.

“I had misplaced an U-12 nationwide ultimate a few years again, however Chandra sir instructed me to stay my head up, and that at some point I’ll win the senior name,” Sathiyan remembers. “He used to be the primary to name me once I gained the senior name, and jogged my memory of that incident all the ones years in the past.” Chandrasekar used to be additionally there when Mehta gained the primary of his 8 nationwide titles. They performed every different for the primary time within the senior nationwide ultimate in 1981. Chandrasekar, elder by means of two years, emerged victorious 3-0. A yr later, Mehta gained his first name by means of beating his senior within the ultimate by means of the similar scoreline.

Destiny dominated in a different way

It looked like the beginning of a really perfect contention that might deliver out the most productive in each avid gamers – nonetheless of their early 20s – for years yet to come. However for the botched knee surgical operation that ended it curious about Chandrasekar.

A regimen operation in 1984 left the then 25-year-old in a month-long coma and with deteriorated eyesight. He did win a lawsuit in opposition to the medical institution years later, however his taking part in occupation used to be over. But he remained decided to stick hooked up to the game and moved into training.

Chandrasekar had a task in shaping the way forward for Arjuna Award winners and multiple-national champions Chetan Baboor and Subramaniam Raman.

Then in September 1998, he met a five-year-old Sathiyan, who would pass directly to change into the highest-ranked Indian, achieving the International No. 24 mark.

“There have been such a lot of other folks early on who’d inform me to play passive, or opt for placement, don’t assault… However Chandra sir instructed me to play the way in which I sought after. He mentioned, ‘that is your taste, don’t trade it. However we will be able to support it’,” Sathiyan says. “Later, I realised that he too used to be an attacking participant. He recognised the ability I had in permutations and location. So, he stored pushing me in that route.”

Sathiyan’s taste mimicked Chadrasekar’s personal. The veteran trainer had a large forehand that stepped forward when the Indian group skilled in Japan in 1975. “He used to be a grasp on that forehand, it used to be sexy and mesmerising. He didn’t have a lot energy, however the permutations, deception and trickery made him this sort of flashy participant. And he did it so persistently,” Mehta says. “He used to be a really perfect risk-taker. Any time within the fit, particularly on an important issues, he’d get a hold of one thing sudden and win. His taking part in taste, and particularly his footwork used to be so easy.

“However he used to be additionally a grasp strategist. He’d beat you mentally and along with his technique, no longer with energy. I had overwhelmed him a couple of instances prior to I performed him in that nationwide ultimate in 1981. However in that ultimate, prior to I may determine what he used to be doing he had already completed the fit.”

Chandrasekar’s flamboyance used to be what pulled other folks to stadiums. Stories of the way fanatics crowded indoor arenas did the rounds neatly after his taking part in days. Sathiyan recollects listening to tales of 1 event the place a ‘lathi price’ order needed to be issued as a result of there have been simply too many of us looking to get a glimpse of him.

“Until nearly his closing breath, he used to be dedicated to the sport. The day he used to be admitted to medical institution, he used to be on his manner house from his academy when he began to really feel feverish and susceptible,” Mehta provides.

Chandrasekar’s will all the time stay a tale of what will have been. What he will have accomplished had that surgical operation long gone neatly. What will have been if he used to be nonetheless there to nurture long term desk tennis champions. And for an individual who used to be recognized for his wit, his operating gag with Sathiyan will stay unfulfilled.

“Over the previous couple of years, he were asking me once I’m going to get married,” provides Sathiyan. “(On every occasion it occurs) sadly he gained’t be there.”