Hoping for an improved performance in next month's table tennis World Championships in Rotterdam, Indian paddlers will undergo a 21-day training camp in China from April 16 to May 6.
The camp at the Zhengding National Training Centre will be held under the watchful eyes of Arjuna awardee and eight-time former national champion Kamlesh Mehta, chief coach Bhawani Mukherjee and Praveen Ojha among others.
A total of 13 paddlers will participate in the 21-day camp, including the 10-member World Championships-bound team.
The Indian team for the World Championships will be led by ace paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal, who has been seeded among the top 50.
Apart from Sharath, Soumyadeep Roy, R Abhishek, A Amalraj and Subhajit Saha are the other members in the men's squad while the women's team comprises of K Shamini, Mouma Das, Madhurika Patkar, Mamata Prabhu and Poulomi Ghatak Roy.
After the training camp, the selected 10 will head straight to Rotterdam from China for the May 8-15 World Championships.
Sharath, who is already preparing himself in Vienna for the World Championships, is looking forward to put his best foot forward in the prestigious event, where he made it to the third round last time.
"I am fit and have been preparing for the Rotterdam event. With over 800 entries, it looks to be a mouth-watering affair. I hope I will be able to make a mark this time," he said from Vienna.
This year's World Championships promises to be a big affair with a record 474 paddlers in men's section and 342 in women's category from 140 countries having already sent in their entries.
Indian team for the World Championships:
Men: A Sharath Kamal, Soumyadeep Roy, R Abhishek, A Amalraj and Subhajit Saha.
Women: K Shamini, Mouma Das, Madhurika Patkar, Mamata Prabhu and Poulomi Ghatak Roy.
Coaches: Kamlesh Mehta and Bhawani Mukherjee.
Manager: V K Bawa.