Indian paddlers battle new rules

MUMBAI: Life has indeed become tough for Indian paddlers in the post speed glue era. And the discussion at the ongoing 70th Senior National and Inter State Table Tennis Championships here seemed to centre on how adjusting to the spin and racquet control is making them put longer hours on the table.
If adjusting to the new water glue rules wasn't enough, the non-availability of pre-tuned rubbers in the country has compounded their problems.
The pre-tuned rubbers have an in-built effect of the glue, and is the new tool for the players after the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) banned the speed glue last September. The second line of paddlers in the country have been affected the most as they don't have the means to procure them from abroad.
In fact, Achanta Sharath Kamal, who trains in Spain, was flooded with requests from fellow players to get the pre-tuned rubbers. Each rubber costs around Rs 2,500-Rs 3,000. Seasoned paddler Mouma Das, who plays with a pimpled rubber has been trying hard to find a pre-tuned version of it in India but in vain.