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Three-time men's singles national champion Sourabh Verma may have been out of national team contention for a while now but the 30-year-old is keen to prove that he is still a player to beat as he targets his second National Games gold at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium here.
This is the third appearance of the Madhya Pradesh shuttler in the National Games. In the first appearance back in 2011, he had helped the state clinch a team bronze and another medal in Goa would only cement his place as one of the domestic giants of the sport. Varma, who bagged the men's singles crown in the 2015 edition of the Games in Kerala, began his campaign in the 37th National Games with a 21-16, 22-20 in the opening round. "My preparation (for the National Games) has been thorough, with consistent participation in various tournaments and I am looking forward to facing the young brigade here," said Verma, who achieved a career-best world ranking of 28 back in December 2019. His international accolades also include titles at the Russian and Dutch Open in 2018, as well as the Hyderabad Open and Vietnam Open in 2019. Currently ranked 65th in the world, Verma considers his first National title back in 2011 as the most cherished moment of his career. The same year, he marked his international debut with a triumph at the Bahrain International Challenge. His memorable journey continued with a runner-up finish at the India Open Grand Prix, narrowly losing to former Olympic champion Taufiq Hidayat. When asked about the potential challengers here, Verma said, "The young players have been impressing with their performances. Every match will be challenging, and no opponent can be taken lightly." Emphasising the importance of the National Games as a platform for players to shine on the national stage, Varma said multi-sport events like these add another dimension of playing for your State and youngsters can draw from this experience while playing major international tournaments. (ANI)
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