The first time is always the hardest. As India’s foreign table tennis coach, Aleksey Yefremov, sets out with the team on their first assignment together — for the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Guangzhou, China — the knot in the stomach and the jangled nerves are only too evident. It’s been a little over a month since Yefremov moved bag and baggage to India, and has had only 15 days to assess players at the national camp in Patiala. Still, the Belarusian manages a nervous smile when quizzed about the task at hand. While the Indian men’s team finished 35th in the last edition of the teams championship in Bremen, the women managed a top-25 finish.

In Guangzhou, the men and women, both ranked 33rd in the world teams, have been drawn into groups that will require more than a fight to come out on top. While the men’s team has competition from Egypt, Argentina and Norway; the women have Estonia, Indonesia and an Australian team — comprising mainly Chinese-origin players — to take on in the championship from February 24 to March 2.

With a successful camp behind him, the 33-year-old coach is concerned, but only just. “At the camp, all 20 participating players gave it their all. I specifically asked for one defensive player (R Abhishek) so that we get a variety and some practice. The girls practised hard, among the men, Amal Raj, Pathik Mehta and Soumyadeep Roy worked with drive,” he said.

Yet, there is much to be desired. Comparing Belarussian players with the Indians, Yefremov said: “In Belarus, the players are professional and have a strong sense of discipline. The Indians aren’t far behind, they just need to work more on tactics and physical aspects.” The Belarussian women are ranked 16 in the world, while the men stand at 19th. Yefremov has his own “system” of training, and has stuck to his methods during his stints as coach in Croatia, Jordan, Guatemala and Spain — and hopes it will spell success for the Indian team.

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