Legendary India table tennis player V Chandrasekhar died at a private hospital on Wednesday due to COVID related complications, his family informed.
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju paid his condolences to the family of the great player. "Saddened to learn about the demise of V Chandrashekhar, an ace table tennis player of the 1980s, and an Arjuna Awardee, who went on to become a 3-time national champion. He later mentored a number of players who emerged as top paddlers. His contribution will never be forgotten," Rijiju wrote on Twitter.
The Arjuna Award recipient was 64 years old. Chandra was a three-time national champion and was the president of Tamizhaga Table Tennis Association and Director and head coach of the SDAT-Medimix TT Academy.
Chandrashekhar had a career that promised a lot. By the time he was 27, he had already won a Commonwealth championship bronze medal and three National titles. However, after the 1984 Central India final against Manjit Dua, Chandra decided to go for an operation on his right knee in Chennai which severely impacted his career.
In 1990, Chandra made his comeback as a coach and guided youngsters to several important wins.
