Reluctant return after a prolonged break

The thought of returning to the game never occurred to her until a letter arrived to her sprarking the idea of making a comeback, However, her confidence was always high. After spending 20 years of her life around the blue and white table tennis table, Thane based paddler Mamta Prabhu didn’t see her career growing in the right direction and soon she decided to take a small break that went on for four years. And now, after being in the circuit for a year, she attracted the highest bid in the Mumbai Super League which will be held from May 23 to May 26. 

“Four years was definitely not my plan,” are her words with a tone in her voice that expresses her dissatisfaction of not returning earlier. 

In 2010, she returned home from Delhi with a silver in the Commonwealth Games. But even then she felt that she was not getting the returns from her investment of around 20 years in the game. 

On top of it, she was not able to find adequate facilities in Mumbai to train and she wanted to move out to play in the foreign leagues. “We didn’t have so many opportunities then. I felt that I was not growing while I played here and I wanted to go abroad. But that opportunity never arrived. So I thought a break will be fine and it became never ending,” she says. 

She is employed with Dena Bank where she is the marketing manager. For 10 years, she played for the bank at club level and then committed herself to full time work after the break. The bank sent her a letter out of nowhere to invite her to play for a tournament. 

“I did not want to return after a couple of years. I accepted that my career was over and this is my life now,” she says. “My friends were always telling me that I should get back and when the letter arrived even I thought that I should play and see how it goes,” she recalls. 

After a reluctant return, she lifted a couple of state level trophies. However, she made the early exist in the senior nationals where she was knocked out in the first knockout round after the group stages. 

For a year, she has been training at Booster’s Club under Shailaja Gohad who boosted Mamta’s confidence to return. In fact, it was Gohad who she holds responsible for a her return. She is also a level one coach which is rare breed in Indian TT fraternity. 

Her former coach and a record time national champion Kamlesh Mehta was happy to see Mamta back in the groove. “I am glad that she attracted the highest bid. She has great quality and I hope that she returns to the international circuit soon,” said Mehta. 

The league could boost her confidence and probably the 34-year old could make one return to remember.